Ayakashi
by Kyogre
Summary: slight AU, gen. Flames and the Trinisette are far from the only secret power in the world. In which Tsuna is half-youkai, and his Guardians aren't quite all human either. The mafia won't know what hit them.
1. Reborn, Tsuna, Gokudera

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 1: His true form**

Reborn considered himself to be quite experienced in the ways of the world. He had seen a lot, he had done much. He had been turned into a perpetual two year old to serve as the living battery for a magic rock that upheld the fabric of reality.

He didn't think there was much of anything left that could truly shock him.

So when Reborn punctuated his explanation of the Vongola famiglia's history and how it related to one Sawada Tsunayoshi by putting a bullet into the wall next to his new student's skull, only to have the boy screech and suddenly grow a tail, the hitman didn't even blink.

Yes, Reborn decided, it was a tail. A fox one, and rather fluffy. It had not been there when Reborn conducted his observation of Tsuna or when Reborn first arrived at the house. But there it was now.

Under Reborn's scrutiny, Tsuna froze, a horrified, terrified expression coming over his face as his entire body began to tremble. It was the face of someone expecting their very existence to be rejected, the kind of emotional blow that was far more painful than the stoning and lynch mob likely to follow.

"Just to make clear," Reborn said calmly, "I take it you're not entirely human."

Tsuna's head jerked up and down in a strained nod, his hands reaching out to grip his fluffy tail tightly. He stroked the standing golden brown fur, a shade more orange than his hair, in an effort to calm himself.

Reborn made an acknowledging noise. "So that blood is thick in you?"

"T-thick blood?" Tsuna ventured, finally letting his gaze dart toward Reborn again. His eyes were just a little too gold for a human outside of Hyper Dying Will Mode, Reborn acknowledged now.

"Having the blood of a distant ancestor express strongly within you, despite being generations apart," Reborn clarified. "The technical term is atavism."

"Oh, senzo-gaeri," Tsuna said, understanding dawning. Reborn noted the term. His Japanese was good, of course, but this wasn't a field he had ever needed to study before. "You mean return to ancestry. Um, no. Mom's a kitsune. She's a seven-tailed fox."

Releasing his death grip on his tail, Tsuna held up seven fingers to illustrate. His tail flickered, a little nervous still, but even the small show of trust pleased Reborn.

"And your father never even noticed?" Reborn commented dryly. 'That useless idiot Iemitsu,' he thought. But suddenly Nana's lack of reaction toward an infant that claimed to be a tutor, drank coffee and could haul her son bodily up the stairs made a lot more sense.

Tsuna shrugged. "He's not around much, and Mom can't change back to her real form anyway," he explained, a surprisingly dark frown coming across his face. "That's how it works. She decided to stay with him for the rest of his life and live as a human, so she can't transform, except on full moon nights and festivals."

Reborn nodded, mentally making note of it all. Information was priceless and to be hoarded, especially in an unexpected situation like this. He would have to ask later.

Tsuna's tail swung back and forth nervously as he glanced at Reborn. "Doesn't… Doesn't it bother you?" he venture finally. "The fact that I'm a hanyou, half youkai?"

"It's not that strange," Reborn said, with a careful tone of indifference. "The mafia has always attracted people with special bloodlines. Their abilities make them very sought after by many famiglie."

"I don't have anything like that," Tsuna said, shoulders and tail drooping. "I don't have any special abilities at all."

"Good," Reborn said calmly.

That made it more likely that he would be able to use Dying Will Flames. Those Flames were something only humans had, and sometimes having another bloodline could interfere with that. Nono said he had seen Tsuna's Sky Flames, but Reborn would confirm for himself. It would be his first order of business.

"Now, where were we before that little distraction?" Reborn said, hefting up his Leon-gun. "That's right. I was telling you about your great-great-great-grandfather and the mafia famiglia he created…"

This time, Tsuna listened without protest, though his expression and the way his tail curled were clearly dubious.

Even when Reborn took over Tsuna's bed and set up traps all over the room, Tsuna just grumbled and went to get the spare futon. It seemed that Reborn's easy acceptance had earned him a degree of goodwill that couldn't be dispelled with mere bullets and explosives.

He would need to keep Tsuna's heritage in mind when selecting his Guardians. They would need to be able to give Tsuna the same unconditional support.

But if anything, it made his first pick, the potential Storm Guardian, all the more suited.

"Reborn?" Tsuna ventured finally as they settled into their beds. "Are you…?"

"I'm a human," Reborn said firmly. Or at least, his situation wasn't like Tsuna's.

"Oh, okay," Tsuna mumbled, already drifting off to sleep. "Goodnight."

Listening to his soft, even breathing, Reborn let himself frown up at the ceiling. Despite what he had said, Reborn could not recall ever actually meeting a genuine halfbreed before. Supernatural beings were becoming far too rare for that. He had heard that the two halves did not always blend evenly, making halfbreeds both powerful and fragile, if their delicate balance was upset.

Well, it wasn't anything he couldn't handle, Reborn decided, wrapping himself deeper into Tsuna's blankets. They smelled a little strange, of something that wasn't quite smoke or fur. It was warm and not entirely unpleasant.

That night, he had a strange dream.

Moonlight fell through the window, across the futon on Tsuna's floor. Curled up among the spare sheets was a tiny fox kit. It shivered, having kicked off the blanket, and tried to bury its nose deeper in its fluffy tail.

Huffing sleepily, Reborn reached out over the side of the bed to pull the covers up around the small animal. His fingers brushed over its forehead. Its fur was just as soft as it looked. Drawing his arm back, Reborn drifted back to sleep.

It wasn't until morning, when Reborn drove Tsuna out of his nest of blankets by firing a few blanks into the air, that he realized what had seemed so off about the dream.

His arm, stretching out across the gap between them; his hand so large against the fox's tiny body.

'In a dream, you can't hide your true form,' he thought, before snorting at his own whimsy.

He didn't have time for dreams anyway. He had a Vongola boss to train.

~.~.~

**Chapter 2 Those that know**

Despite what Reborn had whimsically imagined, Tsuna's tail did not pop out in Dying Will Mode.

That made sense, in a way. Dying Will Flames could only be wielded by humans, and calling on them brought Tsuna's human half closer to the surface, while pushing down his youkai blood.

In a rare show of caution, what some might call hesitation, though they would certainly be shot immediately for spewing nonsense, Reborn had let Tsuna head out to school in peace and followed surreptitiously, observing.

Watching Tsuna with the knowledge that he was only half human was… almost exactly like watching him without that insight. He was still exactly the same average, cowardly, clumsy middle school student, who tripped over his own feet, cringed away from a Chihuahua, and blushed terribly when he crossed paths with the school idol.

Tsuna was also, Reborn thought privately, rather unlucky. What had seemed like a blessing — walking to school with the Sasagawa Kyoko! — had quickly turned into a curse when the kendo captain Mochida took offense and challenged Tsuna to a duel ostensibly for wasting Kyoko's time, but really just to show off.

It had been too good an opportunity to pass up, and Tsuna had caved to Reborn's prodding with surprising ease.

"You're right. Our circle is small, so we need to stick together," Tsuna had responded mysteriously to Reborn's order to protect his famiglia.

Of course, Tsuna hadn't actually stood a chance against the regional kendo champion, but that was where the Dying Will bullet came in. Just in case, Reborn had tested it that morning before Tsuna left, forcing the boy to hold it for a few moments. When Tsuna had handed it back, the bullet had been warm and pulsing faintly — in response to Tsuna's dormant Dying Will Flames.

So that brought Reborn to where he was, looking over a gym full of middle school students, watching as Tsuna, in his boxers but without a fox tail, rendered his bullying upperclassman bald. It was almost enough to make Reborn smile, or at least smirk. The Decimo-raising plan was back on track.

As the artificially induced Dying Will Mode reached its limit and the flame on Tsuna's forehead extinguished, he returned to his normal timid personality. Instinctively sensing the change, the other students cheered and began to close in to offer their congratulations.

And that's when Reborn's plans were derailed once more.

Without any warning, Tsuna seemed to poof out of existence. All that remained, Reborn saw, scrambling for Leon's scope, was a tiny fox, falling to the gym floor where Tsuna had stood.

His student had just turned into a fox, in front of half his school.

It was not, of course, beyond Reborn's ability to handle. Worst came to worst, he had a few spare smoke grenades.

However, they proved unnecessary. Before the other students could even begin to realize what had happened, the head of the school's Disciplinary Committee, Hibari Kyoya himself, dropped down into the center of the prior battlefield like an avenging angel.

Reborn wasn't surprised, but he was probably the only one to notice Hibari perched on the support beams near the ceiling during the entire match.

"For unregistered use of school facilities, fighting on school grounds and crowding," Hibari listed off, making the last one sound like the far worst offense, "you will all be bitten to death."

Tonfas flashed out, and the students scattered, much like the herd Hibari had accused them of forming. In the confusion, no one except Reborn noticed when Kyoko kneeled down to pick up the baby fox desperately trying not to get trampled by the stampede.

Soon, the auditorium was empty, except for Kyoko and her tiny burden.

And Reborn, who watched the unlikely pair with interest.

"Wow, I didn't know you could do that, Tsuna-kun," Kyoko said cheerfully, looking down at the fox kit in her arms. "Oh, but I thought you're supposed to have a leaf on your forehead, not a little flame."

"That's for tanuki, Kyoko-chan," Tsuna protested, his voice a little squeaky, but otherwise clearly his, only now coming out of an animal's snout. "I'm a fox! …And I didn't know that would happen either."

"That's the power of your other lineage — Dying Will Mode," Reborn announced, jumping down from his own hiding place.

As he approached, Kyoko crouched down to peer at him in surprise. "This is my tutor, Reborn," Tsuna introduced them, nudging Kyoko's chin with his nose.

"A koropokkuru?" Kyoko wondered, tilting her head sideways. That was another term Reborn wasn't familiar with. It was beginning to annoy him. He would have probably been even more annoyed if he had know that she had just compared him to a race of tiny beings that lived in Hokkaido.

Tsuna laughed, wiggling out of Kyoko's hold to climb on her shoulder. "No, he's a human," he said. "He's from Italy. …And he knows."

Kyoko hummed in understanding. She didn't ask why a human baby would be a tutor. Apparently, that sort of thing just didn't register when you knew a boy could turn into a fox sometimes.

"Yes, I know," Reborn confirmed. "And I take it you do too."

"My family used to mind the shrine here. Someone else lives there now, but we still have the knowledge of the spirit world," Kyoko explained. "In Namimori, the circle of people who are involved with the ayakashi is small, so we all know each other — me and Tsuna-kun, and my brother and Yamamoto-kun, and Hibari-san too."

That explained why Hibari had chosen to interfere at that moment — to cover for Tsuna — and also Tsuna's words before, about how he and Kyoko were connected.

"I forgot how cute your other form is," Kyoko commented, scratching under the fox's chin.

"Kyoko…" Tsuna tried to protest, but the happy wagging of his tail gave him away.

"So this has happened before?" Reborn asked, keeping his tone even and calm. Tsuna and Kyoko had both acted rather unconcerned, and Reborn had taken his cue from them, hoping that this wasn't anything serious — or permanent.

Training a tiny, fluffy fox as Vongola Decimo was not impossible, but it was more of a challenge than even Reborn wanted to take on.

"Yeah, a couple times," Tsuna sighed. "It'll wear off in a bit, maybe a few hours, a day or two at most."

Since there was no point in staying at the school, the two of them headed home. The baby and the fox kit made quite the sight as they walked down the streets of Namimori, especially when the fox was suddenly replaced by a boy in only his boxers.

Tsuna promptly lost his balance and fallen off the wall he and Reborn had been walking on top of.

"That was quick," Tsuna commented, then flushed as a couple of old women passing by pointed and whispered.

It had been just under an hour. Not bad, but not good either.

That form was obviously the manifestation of Tsuna's youkai blood. Reborn easily figured out why Tsuna had transformed — the Dying Will bullet had temporarily boosted Tsuna's Flames and thus his human side, but afterwards an imbalance was created, and his youkai half came to prominence temporarily.

Which meant that Tsuna was likely to experience the same thing after every time he went into Dying Will Mode. If that was true, it would certainly put a wrench in Reborn's plans.

He would have to make sure that Dying Will Mode only ran out around people already in the know about the mafia or youkai. Civilians were willing to overlook many things, including a boy running around in his boxers, screaming, with a fire on his head. Unfortunately, Reborn suspected that seeing a boy in boxers suddenly change into a fox might be too much — it went past what could be written off as human oddness into the realm of inhumanity.

That was too bad. Reborn had been looking forward to embarrassing his student by making him run around half naked at the most inopportune times.

"This is so humiliating," Tsuna complained, fruitlessly trying to cover his bare chest with his arms. He was just lucky it was summer and pleasantly warm. "Let's hurry up and head home. Hey, Reborn, do you want a ride?"

A ride?

Reborn refused to show the surprise he felt at that question.

No one had ever just asked. They either already knew he could take care of himself and left him to his devices, or they assumed he was a helpless child and picked him up without considering his wishes. There didn't seem to be any middle ground.

But, he supposed, Tsuna understood what it felt like to end up in such an annoying body, in such an annoying size.

Huffing, Reborn made a point of kicking Tsuna in the head, which was at just the right level from his perch atop the wall. While Tsuna cringed, Reborn settled on top of his fluffy hair and tapped his foot against Tsuna's forehead.

"Forward," he ordered imperiously.

"I'm not a horse, you know," Tsuna complained, even as he obediently set off.

"Then you shouldn't have offered," Reborn said indifferently.

Not that it would have mattered. If Reborn wanted a ride, he simply climbed on, whether they liked it or not. Tsuna just made it too easy.

~.~.~

**Chapter 3: Tales of tails**

Tsuna did, indeed, turn into a fox every time he came out of Dying Will Mode.

Reborn confirmed this during Tsuna's duel with Gokudera Hayato, as well as the interesting fact that the lack of serious physical beat down Mochida received was not a fluke either. Despite his wild demeanor, Tsuna did not lapse into the usual berserker rage that most experienced after being shot with a Dying Will bullet. Case in point, he did not even once attack Gokudera directly.

It made Reborn sigh. Some might consider such a kind disposition a blessing, but it was not exactly standard for a mafia boss. Though, Reborn supposed, Nono might find it charming. And it was still less weird than turning into a tiny fox at the end of the duel.

Fortunately, Gokudera had already conceded his loss, of his own volition, and accepted Tsuna as the rightful heir. Also, he seemed less concerned about the "fox" part and more worried about the "suddenly transforming."

"Juudaime!" he yelled, scooping up the tiny furry form of his new boss. "Speak to me, Juudaime!"

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna said, "please stop shaking me. I'm getting dizzy."

Going in the complete opposite direction, Gokudera froze completely, to the point of holding his breath. Tsuna leaped out of his arms and settled on the ground in front of him, waiting. It was hard to read expressions on the face of a fox, but the nervous twitching of his tail gave Tsuna away.

"Juudaime! This unworthy one deeply apologizes for endangering and inconveniencing you!" Gokudera exclaimed, dropping straight into a full dogeza, his forehead banging against the ground. Reborn, watching this little exchange from nearby, had to wonder where and why Gokudera had learned that pose, and the archaic, overly polite language he had switched to.

He had probably studied it on the plane over. It really said something about Gokudera's hopes — and his expectations.

"Um, that's okay," Tsuna assured him. "Just… don't do it again."

"No! If you were to be attacked in this state—!" Gokudera shuddered at the thought. It was unsettling, admittedly. Reborn would never allow it, but the image of a trampled, destroyed little body, blood matting its fur, flashed through his mind.

"It'll wear off soon," Tsuna told him. "But I guess you, um, already know about… this sort of thing." His tail swished again, and the way he cringed was all too obvious. Reborn reminded himself to start working on that. It was completely unbecoming of a Vongola boss.

Gokudera's cringe was equally obvious. "Um, yes, because I'm… Well, you see…"

He couldn't bring himself to say it. Instead, slowly, hesitantly, a thin tail with a forked tip lifted behind him.

"Oh," Tsuna said, "a nekomata."

The two boys stared each other for a while longer, but that seemed to be the extent of Tsuna's reaction.

Gokudera's tail — splitting into two about halfway down its length and covered in pale fur that darkened at the tips — twitched nervously.

"Is that… Do you… know what I am?" he asked finally, not quite able to hide the hopeful note in his voice.

"You're a nekomata, right? Well, descended from one," Tsuna said. "If a cat lives to be a hundred, its tail splits in two and it gains magic powers. That's a nekomata."

That was, indeed, a cat's tail, Reborn judged. It began to sway excitedly as Gokudera leaned in.

"I heard from Mom that we used to have a cat like that in Namimori," Tsuna continued. "She belonged to a man who came here from overseas, and when she turned a hundred and learned to transform, she went to visit the place he had lived before. I haven't met one before though."

Gokudera smiled, a surprisingly bashful and endearing expression. "I see…" he said. "Thank you for telling me. I don't really know much about my mother, even though I got this from her side, and even when I tried to find her family, I wasn't able to learn much…"

Tsuna nodded slowly, understanding what a relief it must have been for Gokudera to finally have some answers.

"I'm a little jealous," Tsuna said lightly. "You already have two tails. My mom has seven, but I only have the one!"

"It's a magnificent tail!" Gokudera insisted staunchly.

"Thanks. I like yours too," Tsuna replied shyly.

It wasn't long before Tsuna poofed back into human form, still in just his boxers. As Reborn watched the two boys beam at each other, tails wagging, he felt a sudden urge to gag exaggeratedly. It was all too disgustingly cute for words. Even the warm glow of pride at having perfectly orchestrated it didn't take the edge off.

If he shot Gokudera with a Dying Will bullet, Reborn wondered, would he turn into a kitten afterwards? It was so very tempting to try it out… especially if they didn't cut out that blushing and tail wagging soon.

~.~.~


	2. Fever

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 4: In sickness and in health I**

When Tsuna suddenly came down with a fever one early morning, Reborn did something entirely too much like panicking. Fortunately — for the hypothetical witnesses — there was no one around to see it.

Tsuna had been just fine the day before. Even having to make his way home in only his boxers hadn't seemed to bother him much. Reborn was certain he would not have missed even the subtle signs of a summer cold creeping in. The smallest hitch in Tsuna's breathing during the night would have woken Reborn up.

It hadn't been ten bullets yet, Reborn assured himself. There was no way he could have miscounted by that much — or at all. And in any case, the Skull disease didn't cause a fever.

Hopping up on Tsuna's bed, Reborn gathered a tiny bit of Sun Flames to gauge Tsuna's condition. As he had expected, there was nothing physically wrong with Tsuna, at least in the conventional sense.

Instead, the problem lay in his Flames. They were fluctuating wildly, and too prominent by far. In a sense, Tsuna's Flames were causing him to burn up. That meant there was nothing Reborn could do to heal Tsuna, he realized, drawing his Sun Flames back. Something like stabilizing Tsuna's Flames was by far too delicate and risky an operation.

So what could he do? What had even brought this on? Not knowing, being so in the dark — so powerless to act — left a bitter taste in Reborn's mouth.

There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Nana's cheerful voice rang out. "Tsu-kun, Reborn-kun, it's time to get up! Breakfast is ready!"

Reborn waited until she opened the door. "I'm afraid Tsuna isn't up for breakfast right now, Mamma," he said.

Nana's gaze softened as she looked at Tsuna's flushed face, and she stepped up to the bed to brush back her son's bangs. Moaning quietly, Tsuna leaned into her hand. "He's like this again? Poor dear," she said. She didn't seem worried, just sympathetic.

"Does this happen often?" Reborn asked, his eyes narrowing. Iemitsu, the idiot, hadn't mentioned anything about his boy being sickly or delicate, just shy.

"Once in a while," Nana said. "It's probably because it's summer again, and a new moon besides."

That, right there, was precisely the reason Reborn hated dealing with the supernatural. Even when you finally got an answer, it answered nothing and just raised more questions.

Not that Reborn was giving up. He noted the reference to the moon. Tsuna had mentioned, rather casually, that his mother could still transform during the full moon, so clearly the phases had some relevance, to demon foxes at least. If the full moon made Nana's powers stronger, did that mean the new moon made Tsuna's weaker?

Then, was this the result of his human side, and thus his Flames, growing comparatively too strong? Had Reborn unbalanced him further by using the Dying Will bullets in such rapid succession?

"Don't worry, Reborn-kun," Nana continued, smiling down at him in a way that made Reborn half expect her to pat his head. "Tsu-kun is strong. He'll be just fine by evening." She spoke with a certainty that came from more than just experience.

"That's good to hear, Mamma," Reborn said neutrally.

"You'll stay with him, Reborn-kun?" Nana asked, and Reborn could pick up the way the suggestion was made for his sake, giving him an excuse not to leave Tsuna's side.

And that, there, was another thing. The way Nana acted toward him continually confused Reborn. On some level, she clearly didn't consider him a helpless infant. She had said several times that she was leaving Tsuna in his care, so to her he was Tsuna's "senior" in some sense. But she didn't treat him like an adult either. It was all "Reborn-kun" and "call me Mama."

Or rather… she treated like she was "senior" to him, someone older and more experienced.

Tsuna said his mother had seven tails. The highest for a fox was nine. So just how old did that make Nana? She had known a cat that lived for a hundred years. Maybe to her, even as an adult, Reborn was young and inexperienced.

But she was still trusting him with her son.

"Yes, I'll stay with him, Mamma," Reborn said. "You don't have to worry. I'll make sure he gets better. And… when Gokudera stops by, please tell him to go to school as usual and get Tsuna's work for him."

Reborn didn't think he could take an entire day of Gokudera's pointless fussing. Loyalty was good and all, but there was such a thing as taking it too far. He admitted, if only to himself, that he might have created something terrible by bringing those two together.

~.~.~

**Chapter 5: In sickness and in health II**

Tsuna's fever remained worryingly steady throughout the day, but as Nana had predicted, it began to abate as the afternoon wore on. Fortunately, by the time Gokudera arrived, having obviously run all the way from school the moment it had let out, Tsuna was aware enough to placate him.

"'M fine, really," Tsuna said, still muzzy and bleary-eyed as he peeked out from underneath his covers.

"Are you sure, Juudaime?" Gokudera pressed, fussily fiddling with the wet cloth on Tsuna's forehead. Changing it had been about the only thing Reborn could do for Tsuna all day, and he felt an embarrassing degree of territorial protectiveness at Gokudera's "intrusion."

"Happens sometimes," Tsuna mumbled, burying his face in his pillow. "It's 'cause it's summer. Makes all youkai wonky, 'cause of the long days. And it's a new moon too…"

Reborn noted all of that, mentally wishing for some youkai almanac. He hated to do it, but at this rate, he would have to start looking up local legends — a less than reliable source of information, which was only right about a quarter of the time.

"So it really is because you're… of mixed blood," Gokudera said, chewing his lip worriedly. "My mother… she was also sick often, and she said it wasn't something a doctor could cure."

"Your mom was a hanyou?" Tsuna asked. When Gokudera nodded, he smiled a little. "So that means you're a quarter. I didn't realize. I thought you, mm, what do you guys call it? Get it from an ancestor."

Reborn hadn't known that either. All he knew about Gokudera's mother was that she had been a beautiful pianist, half Japanese, who had only been able to see her son rarely and died in a car crash under unclear circumstances.

Fixing Tsuna's blanket and smoothing it over, Gokudera quietly explained, "My mother told me. It was one of the few times she talked about herself."

At the time, he wouldn't have even known she was his mother, but she must have worried about him, about the bloodline that could come through in him, and that he wouldn't even know where to start looking for answers about himself.

"Her father had owned a small shop that sold music instruments. He passed away before I was born… One day, a beautiful woman came in, asking to look at the flutes he had. One thing led to another and…" Gokudera shrugged, gesturing vaguely. "He never saw her again, but nine months later, he found a baby at his shop. It was my mother. He said he just knew she was his, and that mysterious woman's."

"It's usually like that," Tsuna said, reaching out to pat Gokudera's hand awkwardly. "Mom's the weird one for staying and taking care of me. 'M really lucky, huh?"

He drifted off back to sleep before Gokudera could answer.

Gokudera smiled down at him fondly. "I'm pretty lucky too," he mused, mostly to himself.

~.~.~

**Chapter 6 In sickness and in health III**

By sunset, Tsuna was well enough to start on the homework Gokudera had brought him.

Reborn had been observing his progress and dealing out punishment as Tsuna completely butchered his math, as always, when the doorbell rang downstairs. Listening carefully, he could hear Nana open the door and greet their visitor. Her tone was light and friendly, though with her that didn't necessarily mean much.

She let the guest in easily, and Reborn heard the creaking of the stairs and then the hallway floorboards as he — male, somewhat on the short side, young? — approached Tsuna's room. Reborn didn't tense, but Leon, whom he had been using to harass Tsuna, shifted back into his gun form.

Gokudera had readied himself as well, Reborn was pleased to see.

There was a sharp knock at the door, making Tsuna look up in surprise. "Hey, Tsuna, it's me!" the guest called out easily.

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna greeted cheerfully, and indeed, the baseball ace and male idol, Yamamoto Takeshi, stepped inside a moment later.

"Been sick? The usual?" Yamamoto said, with the cheerful and friendly attitude Reborn had consistently observed from him.

Ever since Kyoko's offhand comment, Reborn had been paying special attention to Yamamoto. After all, he was in the circle of those who knew. All signs pointed to him being a rather normal if athletic teenage boy, but then Tsuna didn't look strange at first either.

"You've been so good about going to school recently, I figured it must be like that," Yamamoto continued. "So I brought you a little something."

He held up a cylindrical container that took Reborn a moment to identify properly. It was, of all things, the hollowed out section of a thick bamboo shoot, treated, smoothed out and carved with a small spout — a very old fashioned water bottle.

"It's water from the shrine," Yamamoto explained, in the usual unhelpful way.

"You went all the way there? Thank you," Tsuna said, accepting the bamboo cup.

"Oi, what do you think you're giving Juudaime, you baseball freak?" Gokudera protested, no longer able to hold his tongue. "It's probably full of germs, and that's the last thing he needs!"

"No, Yamamoto is right," Tsuna said. "Since it's from the shrine, it's purified, you know? It calms and helps restore balance. You really didn't have to, Yamamoto. I always get better on my own."

"It's not a big deal," Yamamoto said easily. He was already turning away to head out, having done what he came for. "See you tomorrow at school, Tsuna."

Tsuna glanced out the window, onto the darkening street, with clear worry. "Are you going to be okay, heading back in the dark?"

"It's fine," Yamamoto assured him. "I've got this." He gestured with the long, thin cloth-wrapped object he was always carrying — a sword, judging by its shape.

The worry in Tsuna's expression didn't ease. If anything, it deepened as he glanced at Gokudera, as if just realizing something.

"You two should go together," he said, to immediate protest from Gokudera. Tsuna shook his head, making the other fall silent. "It's dangerous for people like us, especially right now. You two live in the same direction, right? I'd feel better knowing you were together, at least part of the way."

Gokudera grumbled, but he didn't have it in him to deny Tsuna. Yamamoto only laughed. "Oh, so Gokudera's like us? That's cool," he said. "Okay, I'll look after him for you, Tsuna."

"I don't need looking after, you idiot," Gokudera complained, as the two of them headed out. "Say something like that again, and I'll blow you to kingdom come!"

There was a small, happy smile on Tsuna's face as he settled back to his homework. Reborn watched and also listened, as Tsuna's breathing eased a little more with every sip of the purifying shrine water. It seemed Yamamoto had been right.

Somehow, it was annoying.

~.~.~

**Chapter 7: Too close**

"You should recruit Yamamoto into your famiglia."

The look Tsuna turned on Reborn following this statement was entirely too disbelieving. It was a perfectly reasonable suggestion. There was no need to stare at Reborn as if he had lost his mind and suddenly begun to spout gibberish.

"His athletic abilities and popularity would be a great benefit to the famiglia," Reborn explained when it became clear Tsuna was unwilling, or unable, to say anything in response. "And it would seem he already knows how to fight as well. That is certainly convenient."

Finally, Tsuna blinked and seemed to return to his senses. "Yamamoto's kendo is for fighting ayakashi that might come after him. That style was developed by an onmyouji, so it's especially suited to it."

That just made Reborn more curious. What kind of sword style would a traditional magic user and diviner develop? He'd have to engineer a suitable situation to get a glimpse of it.

Nonetheless, Reborn waved away Tsuna's protests. "It'll work on humans too," he said dismissively. "The fact that Yamamoto already knows about your situation makes him all the more suited to become one of your Guardians. He's part youkai too, isn't he?"

"No," Tsuna said, to Reborn's surprise. Before Reborn could say anything, Tsuna explained, "He's like me, but not a youkai. He's… connected to ayakashi. That's more than just youkai. It's spirits and gods too, all supernatural things — all mononoke."

Reborn didn't facepalm. He even held back his sigh of frustration, though it was a close thing. That was entirely too many words and complicated classifications for things that couldn't be classified anyway.

It did explain a few things… and created many more questions, as usual.

"Yamamoto is basically a human anyway," Tsuna continued, looking stubbornly annoyed now. "He favors his dad a lot, you know."

"But he's still involved, and he's your friend, isn't he? Don't you want him in your famiglia?" Reborn pressed.

He expected the argument to in several ways for there — perhaps Tsuna bringing up the inherent danger of being in the mafia, or continuing to insist that Yamamoto was not involved or not suited.

He hadn't expected what Tsuna actually said.

"I don't think you can say we're friends," Tsuna told him. "It's not like that."

"He went all the way to the shrine and back just to help you feel a little better," Reborn pointed out. That was the sort of thing friends did, or family.

Tsuna shook his head. "It's because that was an ayakashi thing. We help each other out with that. We have to, you know? Because there's no one else. It's like being neighbors, I guess."

More than he wanted to admit, Reborn understood. It was like being Arcobaleno. Even if Skull was wimpy loser, even if Viper was an annoying money-grubber, even if Verde couldn't stand people and caused the same feeling in everyone else… they were all in it together.

"But that's still a strong bond," Reborn mused, almost to himself. "And that's the most important thing in a famiglia. Even if you don't like each other or don't get along most of the time, as long as you are loyal to each other…"

Tsuna shook his head. His expression was strange and hard to read — saddened, but accepting, full of longing.

"It's because we have this connection that we couldn't become friends," he said. "When we see each other, we can't forget the fact that we share this knowledge. And I guess… everyone wanted to be more than just their bloodline, to have a normal life beyond the world of spirits."

Drawing his knees up to his chest and curling up as small as possible, Tsuna didn't need to say that he planned to respect their wishes — or that a life in the mafia would simply be a different kind of abnormal.

The two of them fell silent after that.

Reborn could understand that too. Just looking at the other Arcobaleno was a reminder of their curse. It was part of why they preferred to avoid each other, their contradictory personalities aside. Sometimes, what they wished for wasn't to be understood, but to forget, if only for a little while.

He didn't bring up recruiting Yamamoto again.

~.~.~

One small note to everyone. This story is self-indulgent in the deepest way, so I even indulge in my childish desire to pepper in lots of foreign words. However, I would like to point out that "_Maman,_" which I see in a lot of stories, is _French_. Italian would be "_Mamma,_" like the ABBA song, "Mamma Mia (here I go again)."

~.~.~


	3. Hibari, nighttime, festival

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 8: After dark I**

Contrary to popular belief, Reborn could not make reality bend to his whims, and nature itself did not bow to his wishes.

The Japanese summer was proof of that.

No matter what Reborn did, the truth of the matter was that making Tsuna train outside anytime between midmorning and late afternoon would very likely kill him. In the end, even Reborn had to concede to the climate. The heat and humidity were simply too much.

That wasn't to say he let Tsuna slack off. Instead, Tsuna simply found himself driven out of bed at an even more ridiculously early hour, despite his protests about summer vacation being a time for sleeping in, and the hottest part of the day became dedicated to academic pursuits, safely indoors with the air conditioner working overtime.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Reborn decided, finally taking the sights of gun-Leon off Tsuna.

The moment the immediate danger was past, Tsuna dropped to the hot pavement, panting heavily. Reborn clicked his tongue and mentally added more stamina building exercises to his training menu.

Still, at least Tsuna's problem wasn't a lack of effort, Reborn was willing to admit, and it was pointless to blame the boy for not having something he'd never had reason to cultivate. In light of that, Reborn let him rest.

It took a long while for Tsuna's harsh breathing to even out and his body temperature and heartbeat to return to more normal levels. He had rolled over on his back and closed his eyes, and after a while it almost seemed like he had fallen asleep — or maybe fainted.

Just as Reborn was about to prod him with one foot, Tsuna's eyes snapped open and he sat up sharply. Reflexively, Reborn scanned the area again for any hint of threat — was it the Vongola Hyper Intuition detecting something? — but Tsuna's gaze was focused on the darkening sky.

"We stayed out too late," he said distantly. "We need to get home, now."

It was dangerous to be out after dark for people like them, Tsuna had told Gokudera and Yamamoto.

He climbed to his feet without wasting time, only pausing to hold his arm out to Reborn, an invitation to climb on that was so firm it was almost a command. On principle, Reborn jumped onto Tsuna's head instead, though he refrained from kicking his student for his arrogance, given the uncertain situation.

Tsuna set off at a jog, despite his exhaustion. It was almost completely dark now, the last vestiges of sunset fading way, and the streets were filling with deep shadows that almost seemed to be slithering closer, though Reborn was certain there was no one out except them.

Glancing up, he finally realized what had been bothering him. The darkness was too deep. Why hadn't the street lights come on?

It wasn't a power outage. Reborn could hear the air conditioners whirring away in some of the homes they passed. Glancing down a side street, he could see a lights flickering on in a few houses, half hidden by their fences.

Something moved in the shadows. This time, it wasn't a trick of the mind or an illusion.

Tsuna had noticed it too, but instead of speeding up, he stopped, his gold eyes searching the shadowed corners of the street. He reached into his pocket, his hand curling around the protective charm he always carried with him.

Reborn cocked gun-Leon's hammer. It wasn't a Dying Will bullet in the chamber.

Against an unknown opponent, he wouldn't risk having Dying Will Mode run out and leave Tsuna in his vulnerable other form.

There was a rustle and a flash of movement. Something lunged for them, making Tsuna jerk away.

A gunshot rang out, and… an old umbrella clattered onto the pavement.

There was nothing else. No other hidden enemy.

Reborn stared at the umbrella. The umbrella stared back.

Reborn blinked, refusing to show any other sign of shock. A single wide eye, peeking out through a hole in the umbrella's oiled paper crown, blinked back.

"Oh," Tsuna sighed in relief, "it's just a karakasa."

Reborn turned to stare at him instead. As soon as he looked away, the umbrella stirred and rolled over a little, making Reborn's gaze snap back. His eyes narrowed dangerously, but the umbrella remained stubbornly still.

"It's a tsukumogami, an object that gained a life of its own after being used for a hundred years," Tsuna explained. "Or at least, that's how the legend goes. I can't believe an umbrella could actually last a hundred years…"

The karakasa rustled indignantly. Reborn's glare sharpened, and it stilled again.

Caught up in his staring contest, Reborn didn't look up at the flutter of wings overhead, even though he could tell it belonged to something far larger than even Colonnello's beloved Falco.

This particular supernatural entity, at least, he knew of.

Tsuna had turned to peer up into the night sky, just barely able to make out an even blacker shape blotting out the stars, and he smiled a little nervously as Hibari landed beside him, dark wings folding away into nothing.

Finally, Reborn turned away from the karakasa, which took the opening and, its handle transforming into a clawed leg, scrambled away.

"Hello, sempai," Tsuna greeted Hibari. "Nice night, isn't it? Hehehe…"

Hibari's gaze, as dark as the sky above, did nothing to make him feel more comfortable.

~.~.~

**Chapter 9: After dark II**

Tsuna was the one to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Hibari-sempai, you really don't have to walk me home," he said, daring a glance at the prefect walking beside him. "I-I mean you must be busy with your patrols, especially at this time of year. And look, I even have the omamori Kyoko gave me, so I'll be fine!"

Tsuna held up the charm he always carried, a small flat bag made out of blue cloth, with a fish shape embroidered onto it. Reborn had initially thought Tsuna was just attached to it for being a present from his crush, but it seemed to have some mystic properties as well, given the way he reached for it when expecting an attack from a youkai.

Hibari halted, making Tsuna jerk to a stop as well. The way he looked between Tsuna and the small charm made his doubt about their capabilities all too clear. When his gaze turned to Reborn, it became contemplative, and a smirk slowly spread across his face.

The head of the Disciplinary Committee was far from unaware of the unusual activities taking place in Namimori recently, all stemming from Reborn's arrival. Reborn had not acted openly so far, but on some level, Hibari could sense that Reborn was a "carnivore."

His reflexive reaction to the karakasa was the closest Reborn had come to showing his true colors, and Hibari was interested. Leaving Tsuna in danger to get Reborn to act was a childishly transparent ploy, however.

They were almost to the Sawada house anyway.

With one final look at Tsuna, Hibari unfurled his black wings and disappeared into the night sky. Absently, Reborn wished Tsuna could do something even half as useful.

Feeling annoyed, he kicked Tsuna sharply. When the boy made a sound of protest, Reborn said, "We'll have to cut afternoon training short from now on, but don't think you'll be getting off easy. We can still add a few hours in the morning. Rising with the sun sounds like just the thing for a future Vongola boss."

"That's really not necessary!" Tsuna objected immediately. He stilled and shifted his head as if listening for something. "It's only a few more days," Tsuna judged, "and then everything will calm down. It'll only really be dangerous going out late at night, and even then Hibari-sempai usually keeps everything under control."

As always, Tsuna's so-called answers answered nothing.

"So that Hibari is a tengu," Reborn said instead, deciding to pick his battles, as it were.

The sheer self-satisfaction and sense of achievement he felt when Tsuna made an affirmative sound was frankly embarrassing. He had finally figured out something youkai related. Tengu — winged, beaked hermits — had matched what Reborn had seen of Hibari well enough for him to guess.

"Hibari's family on his mom's side has watched over Namimori for a long time," Tsuna added. "Namimori is special. Ayakashi are drawn here, because of the lay of the land. That's why it gets like this in the summer, when the long days make ayakashi restless. So Hibari's clan has kept order here even before the first humans settled in Namimori."

A special place, huh? Reborn wondered why Primo had chosen to settle somewhere like that. He had come to Japan to escape the bloodstained world of the mafia, as far as anyone could tell. Surely, after all that struggle and betrayal, he had wished for a quiet, peaceful life. So why choose a place that was naturally so abnormal?

Or… was that why he had come to Namimori? Because he didn't know how to live as a normal human anymore?

Had one of Hibari's ancestors greeted him? After all, it would have been only about a century and a half back. Five generations for humans, but for ayakashi… Had that stupid umbrella belonged to someone in those days?

"Welcome home!" Nana greeted them cheerfully as soon as they stepped inside. She didn't appear to have been worried, but she never did.

"We're back," Tsuna called back, sighing in relief. "What's for dinner?"

As mother and son chatted easily, Reborn hopped off onto the table.

"Mamma," he called out after Tsuna rushed off to change.

Nana glanced at him with a smile. She looked every bit the ordinary housewife.

"Nevermind," Reborn decided, shaking his head. It didn't matter. As far as he was concerned, she was his student's mother, nothing more, nothing less.

~.~.~

**Chapter 10: Festival night**

"Juudaime, I've come as requested!" Gokudera yelled, bursting into the house.

"Ara, welcome," Nana called out, coming to greet him. "So you'll be staying with Tsu-kun tonight? That's nice."

"S-sorry for the intrusion," Gokudera said belatedly. As always, he completely lost his usual self assured and belligerent attitude in front of Tsuna's mother.

Nana smiled and glanced outside, where the sun was beginning to set. That had been why Reborn allowed Tsuna to finally end his training for the day, right before the boy called Gokudera.

"Looks like it's time for me to start getting ready and head out," Nana mused. "Now remember…"

"Don't leave the house, I know, Mom," Tsuna said, just barely holding back from rolling his eyes.

Grabbing Gokudera's arm — at which his loyal right hand flustered — Tsuna dragged him upstairs and into his room. But to Gokudera's surprise, Tsuna didn't settle on the bed or in the chair or even on the floor and instead opened the window and began to climb outside.

"Dame-Tsuna, what are you doing?" Reborn inquired very calmly, still sitting on Tsuna's shoulder. Are you trying to break your neck, he wanted to say. Because you definitely don't have the coordination to be climbing out windows.

"I'm going to the roof," Tsuna replied, as if it was obvious. "Mom said it's okay this year. We'll get a better view that way!"

Of what? Gokudera and Reborn thought simultaneously.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera protested in worry, hurrying after his boss. He leaned out the window, reaching out as if hoping to catch Tsuna should he slip. However, Tsuna had already hauled himself up, only his legs and his swaying tail still visible over the edge of the roof.

As Gokudera scrambled after him, Tsuna walked across the tiles with more confidence and poise than Reborn had ever see in his student — outside of his fox form, which, now that he thought about it, was quite nimble. He was using his tail to keep his balance, Reborn realized.

The sun had already set, and in the distance, bright lights marked the commercial center of Namimori. However, like that night when they had stayed out too late, Reborn noted that the streetlights around their area had yet to come on, and far too many of the houses remained dark.

"Juudaime, isn't it… unsafe to be out after dark?" Gokudera ventured. He had taken Tsuna's concern to heart, even before Reborn pulled him aside to give a proper explanation.

"It's okay. We're still at home," Tsuna assured him. "But that's actually why I wanted you to stay over tonight. It's not good to be alone on the night of the festival, especially in a place you don't really think of as home."

Even if he didn't understand, Gokudera looked ridiculously touched by the gesture. Like Tsuna, he allowed his tail to appear, swaying — wagging — behind him as he grinned widely. Are you a cat or a dog, Reborn thought uncharitably.

"What festival?" Reborn asked. "It's not Obon." And he hadn't heard of any local festivals either.

"They're supposed to be at the same time, but Obon is tied to a calendar now," Tsuna said, his explanation as always completely backwards. "It's the hyakki yagou. The parade of a hundred demons. The culmination of all the spiritual energy and ayakashi that gathered here over the summer."

He had been looking into the distance, searching for something, and his face suddenly brightened. Following his gaze, Reborn could make out the flickering light of what appeared to be lanterns, slowly but steadily snaking their way through the streets toward them.

The front gate of the Sawada house clanged open and shut, and a figure in a bright yukata and a painted fox mask stepped put onto the street. It was Nana, holding a lantern as well, and Reborn suddenly remembered what Tsuna had said when they first met — she couldn't transform, except during the full moon or festivals.

The lantern procession had drawn closer, turning onto their street. Reborn could hear snatches of uncoordinated music and singing and just make out the banners they carried. It really did look like a small town parade.

…Except for the fact that many of the participants were clearly not human.

The figures that drew even with the house came in all shapes and sizes. There were beasts, large and small, there were things that looked like massive walking vegetables. There were animate objects, hopping or floating along. There were those that looked human, except that something wasn't quite right.

Reborn's eyes narrowed as he spotted what looked like the umbrella that had tried to ambush them a few days before.

A massive pale gold fox with a plume of tails joined the procession, its shoulders rising over the more humanoid creatures. Tsuna watched her go with a smile.

"All the youkai and spirits that gather in Namimori are led out of the city," Tsuna explained quietly, leaning in toward Gokudera, who had been watching in mute wonder. "So after this, it'll be much safer, even after dark. I'm sure Hibari-sempai will be glad."

They continued to watch the snaking trail of lights long after the parade had passed them and the sound of their offbeat music and chanting had faded away. It was only after the procession reached the town limits and dispersed into the forest that Tsuna climbed back inside and badgered Gokudera into spend the night.

Somehow, Reborn had almost expected another strange dream, but his sleep was completely peaceful, uninterrupted even by Nana's return close to dawn.

~.~.~


	4. Yamamoto, typhoon

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 11: Flash flood I**

Even with summer over and school back in session, the typhoon season had not yet worn itself out. The proof of this raged outside through the streets of Namimori. This would be the last storm of the season, the meteorologists had predicted, but it would be a doozy.

The pounding of the rain against the window was almost enough to drown out the phone ringing downstairs. It was a miracle that the phone lines hadn't gone down yet. They did not seem likely to last the night.

"Tsu-kun! It's for you!" Nana called out, her voice making the increasingly jittery Tsuna jump in surprise.

"Coming!" he called back, rushing out of the room without even waiting for Reborn. It shouldn't have felt strange, and Reborn could easily make his own way through the house, but he had somehow gotten used to Tsuna always pausing long enough for Reborn to catch a ride.

Reborn resolved to punish him later, though he wasn't entirely sure for what.

Downstairs, Tsuna stood tense beside the phone, his expression steadily growing more and more concerned as he listened to the caller's message. He hung up just as Reborn approached and seemed to remember the tutor's presence for the first time.

"That was Kyoko," he said, and Reborn had a sudden uneasy premonition. "Yamamoto's dad called her. He didn't come home after school. We're going to look for him."

Tsuna rushed out of the house, pausing only long enough to pull on his shoes and a rain coat and, after a swift reminder from Reborn, call Gokudera as well.

Kyoko and her brother were already waiting for them, huddled in their own coats against the pounding rain that swept across the street in waves.

"Yamamoto-san called our house," Kyoko explained, wringing her hands nervously. "He said Yamamoto-kun hasn't come home. Yamamoto-san thought he might have gone to a friend's house or gotten stuck somewhere because of the storm but…"

Kyoko knew practically the entire school. It hadn't taken her long to find out that Yamamoto had cleaning duty that day, but he had apparently left without finishing, something out of character for the usually dutiful and helpful Yamamoto.

According to their classmate, Yamamoto had been… out of it, spacy, staring out the window constantly as the rain picked up.

Kyoko and Tsuna exchanged an uneasy look that made Reborn itch to pound some answers out of them.

"Yamamoto-san is looking for him too," Kyoko said, "and Hibari-sempai. They'll cover the town."

"And we'll check by the river," Tsuna said, as if agreeing with some unspoken thought. Kyoko's brother, Ryohei, nodded sharply. Gokudera, looking lost and annoyed, nonetheless agreed as well, if only because it was Tsuna's wish.

As they split up, each to cover their own stretch of Namimori's main river, Reborn gripped onto Tsuna's hood tightly, making sure to get a handful of the hair beneath, and pulled. Tsuna winced, but didn't protest, rather wisely.

"What is going on, Dame-Tsuna?" Reborn asked tersely. "It's something about Yamamoto's connection to ayakashi, I take it?"

Tsuna nodded, but his answer was swept away by another gust of wind. Squinting against the rain it brought, Tsuna propped Reborn up against the onslaught.

"The river is swelling," Tsuna said, more through lip reading than his barely audible voice. "It's gotten too strong too fast. Yamamoto… his blood must be calling. Its voice must have overwhelmed him suddenly."

Of course. If the seasons and the phases of the moon could affect youkai, then why not weather patterns? Reborn thought, rather unhappily.

But what Tsuna was saying didn't sound like a monster, even a strange Far East one. If anything, it sounded like… a nature spirit? Things like that didn't exist anymore, Reborn had thought. All of them had fallen into a slumber so deep they could not longer hear or be heard.

'Namimori is special, a place where spiritual energy gathers.'

Yamamoto was not part youkai, but rather something else…

Squinting against the thickening rain, Reborn noticed it in the same instance as Tsuna — a lone figure up on the bridge, staring out across the rapid, swelling flow of the river.

Yamamoto hadn't even bothered to pull his hood up, water running down his collar in thick streams, and his thin jacket was plastered to his skin. He didn't respond to Tsuna's calls as Tsuna ran up to him. Only Tsuna's hand on his shoulder finally made him turn.

There was something strange in Yamamoto's eyes, a glow that was not like a Dying Will Flame. His expression looked blank and almost drugged, but with a faint touch of something like longing and exhilaration.

"Oh, Tsuna," Yamamoto said, his voice light and detached. His gaze didn't seem to focus on the other boy at all. "Tsuna, I can hear her. She's calling me."

Tsuna's grip on his shoulder tightened suddenly, a deep unease and concern passing across his face.

"Yamamoto, we have to go," he said, voice firm and steely in a way Reborn had not heard before. "Your father is waiting for you back home."

Finally, Yamamoto seemed to really look at Tsuna, but his expression was still too distant, even as he frowned faintly. "She's calling me," he repeated. "I want to go."

"You can't," Tsuna insisted, with more force than Reborn had thought possible from him. "You're a human. You can't go there."

In a sharp motion, Yamamoto threw off Tsuna's hand and began to back away. "I can hear her. I have to go," he said.

He didn't wait for a reply.

Instead, he simply vaulted over the railing and plunged toward the swollen, raging river.

"Yamamoto!"

Tsuna didn't need any prompting. He didn't wait for a command, or a chastisement. Whether he realized it or not, he considered Yamamoto — and all the others in their "circle" — to be what Reborn would call famiglia.

As Tsuna jumped after Yamamoto, apparently forgetting he couldn't swim, Reborn remained on the bridge's railing and readied his gun.

~.~.~

**Chapter 12: Flash flood II**

Tsuna's Dying Will mode lasted just long enough for him to pull an unconscious Yamamoto onto the shore. In the next moment, a tiny wet fox curled up, shivering, against Yamamoto's side.

That had been enough time for Reborn to send a text message to the rest of their search effort. Fortunately, cellphone-Leon had much better reception than any human made device.

It didn't take long for the others to find them. Gokudera arrived first, running to Yamamoto's side and pragmatically checking his pulse and breathing. He didn't flinch when Tsuna darted into his hood and curled up around his neck and shoulders, even though the little fox must have been wet and freezing.

"He's alright," Gokudera called out as Kyoko and Ryohei ran up. Not that Gokudera was particularly concerned about the idiot that had forced Tsuna out in such lousy weather. Frowning, Gokudera reached up to place a hand against the shivering lump around his neck.

"We'll get him home," Kyoko said as her brother easily hoisted Yamamoto up on his back.

"Thanks extremely for your help," Ryohei said, managing to encompass Gokudera, Tsuna and even Reborn, who had taken up position on Gokudera's shoulder.

Barely sparing the siblings a curt nod, Gokudera took off running toward the Sawada home. Cold water slid down his back from Tsuna's fur, but what bothered him far more was the way Tsuna stopped shivering halfway home.

Reborn had spared a vague thought to what would happen if Tsuna changed back while still in Gokudera's coat with him, but it turned out to be a moot point. Tsuna remained in his tiny furry form even when they made it back and moved him into bed after a thorough rub down.

His russet fur fluffed out around him, but Tsuna still terribly small in the middle of his human-sized bed and blankets. Shivers ran through his form intermittently.

With Gokudera safely put up for the night in the guest bedroom, it took Reborn only a moment of exasperated capitulation to climb under the blankets with Tsuna.

Better for them to be warm together than both freezing apart, he told himself. It was for his own comfort, really.

With a human, the concept of sharing body heat would have been ludicrous. Reborn would have barely qualified as a hot water bottle. But the fox was small enough even for Reborn's cursed form to curl around.

It wasn't unpleasant.

The pounding rain made Reborn's sleep restless, his instincts uneasy with the white noise against his senses, potentially concealing approaching threats. Somehow, the feeling of soft fur under his hands was reassuring when he periodically drifted closer to wakefulness.

At some point in the night, the feeling under his hand changed. Soft fur became soft hair and soft skin. Still drifting in his dreams, Reborn refused to wake and instead curled a little tighter around Tsuna, tucking the boy's head under his chin and running a hand down his back.

In the morning, Tsuna was the one curled around him. Reborn grudgingly allowed his student's little presumption. He had done well the day before.

The warm space within the blankets felt too large.

~.~.~

**Chapter 13 Flash flood III**

The next day, Tsuna insisted on going to check on Yamamoto, despite Kyoko having called to let them known that he and the Sasagawa siblings had all made it to their homes safely.

Yamamoto's father greeted them cheerfully as they stepped inside the family sushi shop. "Takeshi's in the back," he said. "I tried to tell him to stay in bed, but he insisted on helping out."

"It's probably for the best," Tsuna said, too quietly for him to hear, most likely to himself. "Being around people is better than being alone at times like this." Being alone and in silence made other things that much louder. The presence and sound of humans helped drown out the call of that other blood.

"Go ahead," Tsuyoshi continued, waving toward the back of the shop. "He'll be happy to see you. And… thanks for looking out for him."

"It's nothing. He'd do the same for us," Tsuna demurred, ducking his head and hurrying along. Gokudera snorted, but didn't comment as he followed his boss.

Reborn stayed behind at the counter, not entirely sure he'd be able to stop himself from strong arming Yamamoto into Tsuna's famiglia if he went with them. It was such a perfect opportunity. Letting it pass by was almost physically painful.

Also, he had some questions.

The sushi shop was empty, and after a casual sweep, Reborn decided it was safe to talk. When he made his way over to the sushi chef, Tsuyoshi looked up with a smile. "Can I get you anything?" he asked. "You're Tsuna's tutor, right? Takeshi told me."

"A bit of sake," Reborn decided, nodding as Tsuyoshi wiped his hands and poured him some without comment about the unnaturalness of an infant drinking alcohol. "He told you that I know too, right?"

Pouring himself some as well, Tsuyoshi hummed in agreement and took a sip. "I suppose you want to know about Takeshi," he commented. "It's an old story…"

The two men lapsed into silence for several moments as Tsuyoshi gathered his thoughts.

"I didn't really know much about ayakashi when I was young," he began finally. "Our sword style, Shigure Souen Ryuu, is said to have been created by an onmyouji to be effective against them, but in all my training, I had never even encountered one. But then… it had been a typhoon much like this one. My friend had gone out to train alone, and I went looking for him when he didn't come back."

Pausing, Tsuyoshi took another sip of sake.

"Well, things got a little rough. I managed to get my friend to safety, but I slipped and fell into the river myself. I thought I was done for." Tsuyoshi smiled, looking down into the clear liquid in his small cup. "The next thing I remember is coming to in a small shanty by the river. It had been abandoned for years, half collapsed in the water already. It just barely kept out the worst of the rain. There was a beautiful woman leaning over me. Her long hair trailed in the water… I had never seen anyone like her. I asked her if she'd saved me. She just smiled."

He shook his head, smiling as well. It was rueful but also reminiscing. Taking a sip of his own sake, Reborn remained silent. He could imagine where this was going. He had heard stories like this. He'd read about it, in old, old accounts.

"Maa… I guess you could say we kept warm together," Tsuyoshi said, the implication all too clear. The kids would have probably been blushing, if it didn't go over their heads. "When I woke up the next morning, she was gone. But nine months later…"

"You found an infant and you just knew he was yours," Reborn finished.

It really was an old, well-worn story. What was the purpose of spirits and monsters taking human form and mixing blood with humans? No one knew. As Tsuna had said, it was usually like that — one night that seemed half feverish dream, and then a child mysteriously left behind.

Why did the spirits and monsters give those children to their human parents? Was it kindness? Was it because they had no use for them? Was it some unseen, unknown law that no human could perceive?

The supernatural could not be understood by humans, not really.

And the people standing on the boundary, one foot in either world…

Reborn took another sip.

"I don't know who or what she was," Tsuyoshi said. "A youkai? A drowned ghost? Maybe a nure-onna? I like to think sometimes that she was the spirit of the river, but in the end it doesn't matter. I'm grateful, for my life, and for Takeshi. He's a good boy."

Even if he was a little odd sometimes. Tsuyoshi loved him, even as he worried when Takeshi's gaze got a little too distant, like he might just float away.

Reborn didn't comment. If it had been a drowned ghost, he suspected Tsuyoshi wouldn't have made it out alive. Youkai and spirits of nature were not generally malicious, simply lacking in human empathy or kindness, too alien to understand or be understood. Ghosts, those carrying the taint of death, actively sought to harm and to kill.

And the spirit of the river, made stronger by the swelling rain…

Well, it didn't matter much, in the end.

"That was supposed to be the last storm of the season," Reborn said, mostly to himself. "So there's nothing to worry about for a while."

Smiling, Tsuyoshi refilled his cup.

~.~.~

**Chapter 14 After the rain (Flash flood IV)**

"So Tsuna," Yamamoto said, stacking another clean dish in the sink, "you did something really cool to save me."

It was a good thing that Tsuna wasn't helping. He would have certainly dropped something.

"What's it to you, baseball freak?" Gokudera demanded. However, his glare didn't waver from the plate he was meticulously drying.

Yamamoto smiled, unperturbed by Gokudera's attitude. "It wasn't a fox thing," he continued, blatantly fishing.

"Um, no," Tsuna confirmed, shuffling uncomfortably.

His eyes met Gokudera's when his subordinate glanced back, asking permission.

"That was a Dying Will Flame," Gokudera explained gruffly, looking firmly down at the dish and towel in his hands. If nothing else, he supposed even this idiot knew how to keep a secret. "It's a power that only humans have. Juudaime is learning to use it to become the tenth boss of the Vongola famiglia."

"Sounds fun," Yamamoto commented lightly, passing Gokudera another plate. "Okay. I'm gonna play this game with you guys."

"What," Gokudera said flatly, staring at him.

"I'm gonna be on Tsuna's team," Yamamoto said, smiling brightly. "Like you. We should stick together."

"No!" Tsuna protested, finally overcoming his shock. "Yamamoto, you shouldn't get involved. It's… it's not very interesting."

"It looked interesting to me," Yamamoto said.

"It's dangerous."

"Don't worry, I'm tough," Yamamoto said. "And I know you've got my back. Just like yesterday."

"It's got nothing to do with you. It's just my father's… business. It's not something you have to help me with. It's not like that."

"I want to help you," Yamamoto refuted easily. "Not just because of that, but because we're friends."

Tsuna floundered, having never expected that. The pleased blush on his face made Gokudera growl a little.

"It's the mafia, you idiot, not some game!" he yelled.

"Oh? Well, I better make sure I have Tsuna's back too," Yamamoto said lightly. "And polish up my swordsmanship, I guess."

There wasn't really much they could say after that. Tsuna buried his face in his hands, hiding either tears or a crimson blush.

At least Reborn was pleased to hear about it. Tsuna's famiglia had grown by one.

~.~.~


	5. Lambo, Bianchi, Shamal, Dino

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 15 Running of the bulls**

It was a testament to how bizarre Tsuna's life had become, that when he saw a massive black bull charging across Namimori, he only wondered which side of his family this problem related to.

"Ushi-oni?" he muttered to himself, thinking of the youkai bull creature he'd heard about.

"No," Reborn said, very flatly. "That's definitely a minotaur."

He had only heard of one living person having that bloodline expressed to such a degree, but the Bovino brat couldn't be more than five. What was he doing in Japan?

And why was he running rampant in his other form?

They would find out later that Lambo had wandered around town for hours, almost getting trampled and run over several times. Getting hungry, he'd tried to get some food, only to chased off by angry shopkeepers. The final straw came when he tripped and accidentally set off a couple of his own grenades.

Unable to hold it in any longer, Lambo had burst into tears — and unintentionally brought forth the power and form of his ancestor.

Crashing into another building and making the entire street tremble, the bull let out a lowing call that sounded rather like the squalling of a child.

"Hiieee! We have to stop him, Reborn!" Tsuna yelled, jumping back in shock. "At this rate… Hibari is going to kill him for real!"

Indeed, there was no way Namimori's protector would take this disturbance lightly.

"Okay," Reborn agreed, Leon already forming a gun in his hand. "Go for it."

Tsuna didn't get a chance to protest before the Dying Will bullet hit him square in the forehead and his clothes and restraint were all stripped away.

Roaring rather like an enraged bull himself, Tsuna stomped his bare foot, snorted a cloud of steam and charged bull-Lambo head on. It wasn't very effective, and Tsuna was sent flying. Fortunately, leaving a long, deep furrow in the street upon landing didn't seem bother Tsuna much.

Hopping out of the rubble, he glared at the bull in deep concentration. The minotaur glared back. A stomp and a snort later, it was charging again.

Tsuna scurried sideways like a crab. As the bull rammed into the building behind him and was left momentarily stunned, Tsuna attacked it from the side. Putting his shoulder into it, he pushed with all his might.

The minotaur lowed in sudden fear and tried to flail, but it too late. It was already tipping, and a moment later, the bull was on its back, legs waving uselessly.

Tsuna roared at his victory, which came not a moment too soon. A poof, and a small fox tumbled to the trampled ground.

Another poof, and a disoriented, tearful toddler was left beside it.

Reborn stared down at them with an indescribable sense of frustration.

Why was it that supernatural beings just never made any sense? Why did his student turn into what was not just a runt, but plainly a young, baby fox, while Lambo, a preschool brat nearly ten years younger than Tsuna, turned into a massive monster that was in no way a calf?

Why couldn't Tsuna turn into something useful, to balance out all the headaches his other heritage caused Reborn?

What sort of sin had Reborn committed to deserve this?

…Well, he could actually think of a few.

But still, just for that, he wasn't going to help them against Hibari.

~.~.~

**Chapter 16 Belladonna**

It turned out that Lambo had not come to Japan alone.

He had slipped away from his caretaker-babysitter-tutor and gone out explore on his own. That rash decision was being paid back, in spades.

"I'm going to cook, you little brat," Lambo's tutor promised, in a tone that was chillingly calm. Her faint, un-nice smile didn't help. "I'll make steaks out of you."

"This is Bianchi," Reborn explained, gesturing to the beautiful young woman. "She was hired by the Bovino family to look after Lambo, who is, as you can see, a… senzo-gaeri. The blood of his minotaur ancestor is strong in him."

"Or maybe some beef stew? You're still just a brat, so you should be plenty tender," Bianchi continued. Lambo, already in tears, began to wail in terror, but a fist to the head quickly put a stop to that.

"She's also Gokudera's half sister," Reborn added. "They have different mothers."

"Then she's… human?" Tsuna asked.

"I am," Bianchi answered, always aware of her surroundings and apparently done terrifying Lambo, for now. "But my mother was not. Tch, that's why they hired me. They think that just because Madre had a medusa's blood, I know how to handle this cow brat."

"Bianchi," Reborn said, instantly catching her full attention, "why did you come to Japan?"

"I missed you, Reborn!" Bianchi exclaimed, with an expression that was unsettlingly… maidenly. "I wanted to see you again! Reborn, let's forget these useless brats and go back to the exciting, dangerous underworld!"

She seemed to drift off into her own world, practically sparkling with joy.

"Um, Reborn?" Tsuna ventured quietly. "How do you know her?"

"She's my fourth lover," Reborn said calmly.

Tsuna blushed. "Oh, I see," he muttered. It was a terribly dull reaction.

"I was joking," Reborn said, sighing a little. "Bianchi is actually a freelance hitman. I… mentored her a bit when she was starting out."

"Reborn is the one who showed me the joy of a freelance hitman's thrilling lifestyle!" Bianchi insisted.

"Bianchi, why are you really here?" Reborn repeated dryly, knowing better than to fall for her exaggerated love-love act.

"I also heard from Hayato that Vongola's successor is of mixed blood. Lambo wanted to meet him," Bianchi said. "It might be a good experience for him, and this seemed like the perfect time to come."

Just in time for Gokudera's birthday, she didn't add.

Feeling a headache coming on, Reborn glanced at Lambo, who had already begun to forget his fear of Bianchi enough to demand food.

The brat's tendency to change into a rampaging minotaur whenever he lost control of his tears had made him feared and isolated, even within his own family, to the point that they had hired a hitman to watch him, for everyone's sake. So Reborn could see Bianchi's reasoning — perhaps interacting with others of mixed blood would help Lambo's development.

Still, keeping the brat in line was bound to prove a frustrating and thankless task. Maybe, Reborn admitted to himself, he could live with Tsuna gaining no useful skills from his other bloodline, if that meant the drawbacks were also not nearly as annoying.

~.~.~

**Chapter 17 A bullet a day (keeps the doctor… in business?)**

As Reborn had expected, keeping Lambo in line took many bullets — Dying Will bullets. It wasn't necessarily a problem, but the big one-oh was quickly approaching, and Reborn wanted to be sure everything was ready.

"Alright, alright, I'm here," Shamal grumbled, scratching at his stubble and not quite able to stop himself from gawking at a passing young woman. "So you're planning to shoot him with the tenth bullet today?"

"The ninth," Reborn corrected.

"Wait, then what did you call me for? It's too early! I don't want to hang around until you do the next one," Shamal complained. "It's taken you how many months to get through eight of them?"

A glare from Reborn made him quickly fall silent. Shamal might have been called a genius hitman, but that just meant he was smart enough to know he stood no chance against the legendary Reborn.

"Tsuna's… physiology is not standard. You will use this to get a baseline for your treatment," Reborn said. It was not a suggestion, and Shamal knew better than to protest that he didn't treat men. He would be treating "Reborn's student." Gender was irrelevant in the face of that.

Shamal stroked his chin. "I suppose it could be at least interesting," he mused. "I haven't treated an actual halfbreed since Lavina."

His expression darkened a little at the memory of Gokudera's beautiful mother — and his own failure to do anything to better her fragile health.

Perhaps Reborn had a point about getting a baseline.

"Well, it's not every day I get the chance to work on such a rare specimen," Shamal said, smirking. "It'll be a good opportunity to test out some hypotheses I've made over the years…"

"My student is not your lab rat," Reborn cut him off coldly. There was no sound of a gun cocking to punctuate that statement, but Shamal could imagine it just fine.

"You must be getting old, Reborn," Shamal grumbled. "When did you get so overprotective? You weren't like this with your last brat."

Ah. Now there was the click of a pistol's hammer being cocked. Wisely, Shamal said nothing further.

~.~.~

**Chapter 18 Unicorns**

As if summoned by Shamal's — completely incorrect — comparisons, Dino himself contacted Reborn not long after. He wanted to visit and meet his new "little bro," but after years of Reborn's training, knew better than to drop in unannounced.

It would, Reborn supposed, be a good experience for both of them. Even Dino, successful don that he was, still had a lot to learn. And whatever Shamal thought, Reborn looked out for all his students, the same way he carried through with all his assignments. Tsuna was in no way special.

Reborn arranged for Dino to arrive while Tsuna was at school — a relatively safe environment, with not only Tsuna's two famiglia members, but also Hibari to handle any difficulties that might arise.

The fact that Dino felt the need to bring his own imposing leather chair was perhaps an indication that he had spent a little too much time in Reborn's tender care. But, well, what kind of mafioso didn't have one or two odd habits?

"So how are we going to do this?" Dino asked, bright eyed and bushy tailed, a cheery grin splitting his face. "I heard from Bianchi that my little bro is a bit shy, but a good boy. I'd feel bad scaring him too much…"

Incidentally, Bianchi and Dino collaborated in keeping track of Reborn. They were only successful about half the time, but that was still better than anyone else had ever managed, except maybe Luce.

"If after all my training, you can't stomach making one brat cry," Reborn began, threat and annoyance mixing in his tone.

"We're going to make him cry?" Dino demanded, looking on the verge of tears himself at just the thought of being cruel to Tsuna. Reborn growled under his breath. "Reborn! Are we really going to make him cry? Bianchi said he's like a fluffy baby animal! I'm not a puppy kicker, Reborn!"

Closing his eyes, Reborn tried to rein in his frustration. Unfortunately, prompted by Dino's wailing, Reborn could just imagine baby fox Tsuna, and what he'd look like if Reborn kicked him. Unlike with a real animal, there was no chance of Tsuna baring fangs and fighting back.

It… It was a disturbingly clear image.

Clearly, Reborn knew he had a long way to go in making Tsuna a real mafia don, or even Dino's level.

"We're not going to make him cry!" Reborn finally snapped, with perhaps more vehemence and… earnestness than was characteristic of him.

Dino looked completely stunned. "R-really? Reborn!" His face broke into a bright, joyful smile, and he looked like was about to go in for a hug — completely out of the question. Then, Dino said something that made Reborn freeze. "Bianchi was right! You really like him!"

"Bianchi said what?" Reborn hissed.

Dino, the idiot, replied cheerfully, "Bianchi said that you really like my little bro! And she's right! You never cared about making me cry!" He didn't seem particularly bothered by that. Dino cried easily, and as long as his famiglia was with him, he smiled even more.

His words echoed Shamal, driving Reborn into almost blind, reflexive rage.

As if to prove their point, Reborn promptly spent the rest their wait for Tsuna making Dino cry yet again.

Just to show them they were completely wrong, Reborn made sure to take a few shots at Tsuna too. The way Tsuna spent the next few days constantly glancing at Reborn in concern as a result somehow made Reborn angrier but also calmed him down.

It had been a long time since Reborn had lost at anything, and he didn't recognize the feeling of grudging capitulation, at least not until much later.

~.~.~

**Chapter 19 Happy Birthday**

Naturally, Bianchi and Dino collaborated to throw a surprise birthday party for Reborn, come October 13.

Not that Reborn was in any way surprised. Bianchi was a talented hitman, but subtlety was not her strong suite, and Dino was Dino. Their ploy to use Tsuna as a distraction to get him out of the house was completely transparent.

Not mention that Reborn had expected it. Even when they could not pin him down, Bianchi and Dino made a point of at least getting him a present to mark the occasion.

Well, it was probably for the best. Honestly, Reborn didn't like surprises.

On the other hand, Tsuna was very surprised when they returned home only to be greeted by confetti and congratulations. For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something, but then the words slipped away, and a complicated series of emotions passed over his face.

Reborn knew what had happened. He had not told Tsuna that it was his birthday, and the others had forgotten to mention it in turn. Tsuna's first thought had been to make the obvious conclusion. He had wanted to tell them that his birthday was not until the next day, before realizing that wasn't what they were celebrating at all. Then came the self-recrimation, at his own perceived selfishness and at not even realizing it was his tutor's birthday.

Reborn sighed. Tsuna really was a good kid.

Since they had gone to all that trouble, he let them party to their hearts' content and added in a bit of "Vongola style" just because Reborn was never one to let an opportunity pass him by. It was… well, it was very Vongola, in the best way possible. It reminded Reborn of the way Nono and his Guardians had been, long ago, and why Reborn had chosen to ally with them…

They threw the best parties. That was the reason, and Reborn was sticking to it.

The tenth generation were all good kids, really. They even stayed behind to help clean up without being prompted to. It was well after dark when Yamamoto, Gokudera and Dino finally headed out, while Bianchi carried Lambo, who had long since dropped off, upstairs.

"Go on, get to bed," Nana told Tsuna. "I've got the rest of this. What a fun event! We should do it again! What was the reason again? Reborn-kun was celebrating something, right?"

Tsuna sighed, realizing it was typical of his mother to go along with his friends' preparations without even knowing what they were doing or why.

"I take it birthdays are not something foxes do," Reborn commented as Tsuna got ready for bed. He glanced at the clock surreptitiously. It was almost time.

"Not really," Tsuna said with a wry smile. "Ayakashi in general don't really keep track of dates, you know. Calendars are a human thing."

He didn't say anything else, but Reborn could do the math. If his mother didn't keep track, his father disappeared for years on end, and Tsuna had no friends of the sort that would know about his daily life, then in all likelihood, Tsuna had never actually celebrated his birthday.

Glancing at the clock, Reborn nodded to himself. He rummaged in his hammock and pulled out a box. It wasn't wrapped in bright, colorful paper, which was why Tsuna only stared at Reborn in confusion as the hitman held it out to him.

"It's for you," Reborn explained. "Happy Birthday, Tsuna."

Tsuna looked at him as if he had never received a present before. Surely even stupid, flighty Iemitsu would have sent over a gift at least once?

Swallowing heavily and ducking his head, Tsuna mumbled, "…Thank you. Thank you so much, Reborn."

He clutched the box to his chest like he was afraid someone would snatch it away. It was both endearing and disheartening.

Reborn didn't ask if Tsuna planned to open it. He'd let Tsuna bask in the stages of happiness involved, he decided. Frankly, taking his unopened present to bed with him, all the better to marvel at it again come morning, was not the weirdest thing Tsuna had ever done.

"Reborn?" Tsuna mumbled, after they both settle in for the night, his voice quiet in the dark room. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything. I promise, next year…"

"It's fine," Reborn cut him off, not unkindly.

As if Reborn wanted to be reminded of how much time had passed. His clock was counting down.

For him, there might not be a next year.

~.~.~


	6. Iemitsu

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 20 The prodigal man returns**

There was no warning. One cold November day, a scruffy man in a miner's outfit appeared in front of the Sawada house.

Well, that wasn't technically correct. Reborn had a little warning. Only a few hours before, he had received a phone call, from Timoteo himself.

"Reborn, I'm afraid my Outside Advisor has gone missing," Nono said, his tone dry but faintly amused. His tolerance was truly amazing, but then he was a good Sky. Given his lack of concern, it could only mean one thing.

Sawada Iemitsu had decided to take an unscheduled vacation… to Japan.

It was a good thing that Reborn had at least that much warning. If Iemitsu had just suddenly appeared before him, Reborn might have done something inconvenient. Say, shooting him in the kneecaps and dragging him inside to be interrogated at gunpoint. Just on reflex, of course.

As it was, Iemitsu was able enter under his own power — burst in, really — and the interrogation took place after a very nice meal.

Surprisingly, Tsuna was the one to start. Reborn felt almost proud.

"It's been more than four months," Tsuna said. "Did you get lost along the way?"

Actually, it had been two years since Iemitsu's last visit home. However, it had been four months since Reborn's arrival. Iemitsu was an idiot in many ways, but he caught all the hidden meanings of Tsuna's words right away.

"You told him?" he asked Reborn, in a surprisingly neutral tone. Tsuna's eyes narrowed, seeing that side of his father for the first time.

"He asked why you couldn't become Decimo," Reborn replied, equally neutral. "Did you expect me to lie?"

The reason, of course, was that the head of the CEDEF could not take over the famiglia. Tsuna had listened to Reborn's explanation calmly. It had been worrying, in some ways.

"You should have told me yourself," Tsuna said flatly, refusing to let Iemitsu evade his question. "Why did you take so long to come explain?"

Yes, that was definitely pride Reborn was feeling, though it was out of character for Tsuna to be so confrontational. How long had he been bottling all this up? They would need to talk afterwards.

"…Papa was very busy," Iemitsu said, glancing away with a pathetic attempt at his usual smile. "Our famiglia needed me. I only got away for a little while. I'll need to head back soon."

"Not before you talk to Mom," Tsuna said, no, ordered.

"T-talk? To Nana?" Iemitsu practically bleated. He looked horrified at the very idea, and his eyes darted to the kitchen, where Nana was cleaning up after dinner, humming to herself. "Now, Tsuna, be reasonable. She's much happier not being involved…"

"How would you know?" Tsuna asked. "I think she'll be fine if you tell her, and I'm the one who's been living with her for fourteen years." Unlike you, remained unsaid, who has seen her for only a few days every few years.

"On that subject," Reborn cut in, before things could escalate further — it wouldn't do for the Vongola Decimo to have a falling out with the Outside Advisor, especially at this juncture, "when were you planning to mention that your wife is actually a—"

After some thinking, Reborn had decided that Iemitsu must have know. The man was an idiot, but not that kind of idiot. He had gotten his position for a reason.

What Reborn did not expect was for Iemitsu to suddenly burst into uncomfortable, slightly hysterical laughter.

"Ahahaha, yes! My wife is a real beauty!" Iemitsu all but shouted, completely drowning out what Reborn was about to say.

Tsuna and Reborn turned two equally flat looks toward him.

"…What are you doing?" Tsuna finally asked. Reborn didn't trust himself to speak. He suspected he might just shoot Iemitsu after all.

"Shhh!" Iemitsu hissed, leaning in and putting a finger to his lips. "Do you want it to turn out like the stories?"

"What stories," Tsuna said, with what Reborn felt was saint-like patience.

"You know! If anyone finds out, they leave!" Iemitsu insisted, gesturing frantically. "Like the crane wife! Or Melusine! Or… Or Cupid and Psyche!"

Iemitsu, it seemed, had a surprisingly wide knowledge of folklore and mythology. It took Reborn a moment to see the common thread between the stories.

The crane wife was a common fairy tale in Japan, about a poor man who helped an injured crane. In return, the crane took the form of a beautiful woman and became his wife. Her weaving made them rich, but she requested that the man never watch her work. When he broke the promise and saw her in her true form, she flew away.

Melusine was a popular French tale. In most versions, Melusine fell in love with a human and appeared to him as a beautiful woman. When they were married, she made her husband promise that she would have some time to herself each week. When he broke his promise and saw that she was actually a dragon, Melusine was forced to go back to her clan. A noble family in France still claimed lineage from her children.

In the legend of Cupid and Psyche, Psyche was asked to never look at her lover, who only visited at night. When she broke that promise, Cupid was forced to leave her.

The common thread was actually that breaking promises was a bad idea, but trust Iemitsu to completely misconstrue the moral of the story and assume that he needed to act like he didn't realize Nana's true nature.

Reborn sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

"Did you promise her something? To never talk about it?" he asked Iemitsu.

"Well, no," the man admitted. "But, but what if I find out, er, admit to knowing, and she leaves to… to hide her secret!"

"What century so you think this is?" Tsuna wondered irritably, finally recovering enough to speak. "No one does that anymore!"

Iemitsu brightened.

"Now that you know her secret, it's only fair you tell her yours," Reborn said. "Tonight."

Iemitsu groaned and banged his head on the table.

~.~.~

**Chapter 21 Pack, not-pack**

Nana took it well. Kind of.

"Dear, I have something very important to tell you," Iemitsu announced. Reborn could see the cold sweat on the back of his neck. "You see… I'm actually in the mafia."

"Okay," Nana said. "What would like for breakfast tomorrow?"

It had to be said that Nana was a very old, very intelligent fox. Nonetheless, she was still a fundamentally nonhuman being, and there were some concepts, especially societal ones, that she did not entirely understand. That included the concept of organized military, and apparently organized crime.

"That means he's in a gang, Mom," Tsuna explained. Gangs were more understandable, if only because "weak herbivores crowding together to pretend to be strong," as Hibari liked to put it, was in no way exclusive to humans.

Nana considered that for a moment longer, but only a moment, before she nodded and smiled again. "It's too bad their territory is so far from here," she said. "You should invite your pack mates over more often, honey."

And that was that.

Apparently, Nana wasn't particularly concerned about the fact that Iemitsu had been lying to her for years. Tsuna had tried to explain it to Reborn — foxes liked to trick people, and Nana had lied to many, many humans over the years, regarding everything down to her fundamental nature. So whether Iemitsu claimed to be an oil miner, a construction worker or whatever, it didn't mean much to her. If anything, Nana thought it was all a rather funny joke.

However, Reborn had his doubts about her son being nearly as forgiving.

"Are you really going to let him off with that flimsy excuse?" Reborn asked as Tsuna let himself fall face first into bed, after they had left Nana and Iemitsu to their eternal honeymoon lovebird routine downstairs. "Claiming to be 'very busy' barely qualifies as even that."

"Yeah," Tsuna agreed, his words muffled. "But at least he'll be gone soon, right? Urgh, imagine if he hung around for a while. It'd be terrible…"

Reborn frowned at Tsuna's sudden capitulation, compared to his earlier anger toward Iemitsu. He couldn't have forgiven the man so easily, so was he just repressing his feelings again? That was an untenable method, and it annoyed Reborn besides.

"He should have come to explain things to you earlier," Reborn said, fishing.

Rolling over, Tsuna shrugged "At least he owned up to Mom. That's the important part. She really loves him," Tsuna said. "It's not like I care what he does. I just didn't like the sudden surprise. If he was going to dump this on me, all because of his mafia thing, he could have warned me. But… it's not like it's really up to him, right? It's all because of my ancestor, Primo."

Reborn thought about what Tsuna said for a while, trying to understand.

Tsuna didn't care what Iemitsu did, and as long as Nana didn't mind, he didn't even care if he lied.

As far as Tsuna was concerned, now that Nana knew and gave her approval, everything with Iemitsu was settled. They didn't need him for anything further. So the best thing would be for him to leave and head back to his… territory. Vongola's territory, in Italy.

Did Tsuna even see Iemitsu as part of his family? Or was he just some stranger who dropped by once in a while to visit Tsuna's mother? An intruder, to be dismissed as soon as possible?

What a mess, Reborn thought, sighing quietly. Replacing the CEDEF leader was going to be such a hassle.

~.~.~

**Chapter 22 How I met your mother**

Iemitsu didn't stay for breakfast. In fact, he didn't even stay the night.

Reborn caught him just as he was placing a blanket over Nana, who had dozed off on the couch, and putting on his shoes, about to sneak off like a thief in the night.

"I have to get back," Iemitsu said, before a Reborn could comment. "They're expecting me. It's already been almost a day. Vongola is at its most vulnerable right now."

Reborn hadn't asked, and he let Iemitsu's quiet excuses trail off into the silence.

"I agree with Tsuna," he said finally. "Some warning would have been nice."

Iemitsu sighed, accepting the reprimand. "I just… I wanted them to be able to live peacefully, if only for a little while longer," he said, looking helplessly at Nana's slumbering form. The softness in his gaze spoke clearly of his deep love for his wife. "Meeting her was like a dream come true. I still remember…"

He trailed off, reminiscing, and Reborn couldn't help but wonder, "How did it happen? The two of you?"

Iemitsu smiled, a foolish love-struck look.

"It was at the Tanabata festival in the summer," he said. "I had gone home for my parents' funeral, and I just wanted to forget everything for a while. There was something about her…"

"Love at first sight? Did you propose right there and then?" Reborn commented, half mocking.

Iemitsu chuckled quietly. "Of course not. I didn't even ask her name. I knew I couldn't stay. But… when I came back next year, we met again. It seemed like fate. She asked me if we could meet again, the year after that… Even when I told her I was only visiting Japan for a short while, she said she didn't mind waiting." He shrugged. "I am a jealous, selfish man. I didn't want to let go."

Honestly, he had always marveled at the way Nana didn't seem to mind, no matter how long he made her wait. Months, years all seemed to be just a short while to her, and then she would still be there, the same as always.

Maybe to a youkai, a human lifetime was all just the blink of an eye.

Maybe like the lovers whose legend was celebrated on Tanabata, who could only meet once a year, the two of them could be happy with just snatches of happiness, before parting once more when he disappeared into the night.

~.~.~


	7. New Year's

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 23 The darkest night of the year**

Reborn had been half expecting it, when Tsuna invited Gokudera over to spent the night of December 21 at his house. With all the other nature and astronomy related phenomena affecting youkai, why not winter solstice too?

But to his surprise, Tsuna did nothing more than set out the spare futon for Gokudera and settle into bed.

"Isn't something going to happen?" Reborn finally gave in and asked.

Tsuna nodded sleepily, pulling his covers up. "Mm, yeah. They're gonna ring the bell at the temple. It'll," he yawned, "release the malevolent thoughts of the earthbound spirits… But we don't need to do anything. So let's just go to sleep. Maybe we'll have a special first dream of the new year. I heard you can see the last or the future or another world…"

Gokudera whispered a question, something concerning whether Tsuna had ever had this mythical special first dream, but Tsuna's answer was barely discernible mumbling. The two of them soon drifted off, leaving only Reborn awake.

He felt almost disappointed. After the ayakashi festival, he had expected something… more, something new and crazy and frustrating. Something he could grumble to himself about.

He really did sound like an old man.

Somewhere, in the far off darkness, a bell began to ring. Each deep tone resonated down to his bones, almost beyond the range of hearing and into something that was felt in the core.

One… two… three…

Twenty-two… twenty-three…

Losing count, Reborn felt himself drifting off as well.

It was dark, and the bell was tolling.

He was standing beside a plain black coffin, unmarked except for the large X upon the lid. No, it wasn't an X. It was a "10" — Decimo.

The realization was like a shot through the heart, and only the sheer numbness that permeated his body kept Reborn from stumbling under the sudden, sharp pain.

This was all wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Why was he, the one doomed to die, always left to watch others perish?

A soft hand rested on his shoulder. "Our lives are short," Luce said, looking just as she had so long ago. "We give them freely, for the sake of others. That is our fate."

The distant, detached part of Reborn's mind that never truly slept or dreamt, only coldly calculating everything around him, felt a sudden, terrible sense of wrongness at the connection Luce drew between herself and Tsuna. They were both Sky, but surely they were not the same. Surely Tsuna had nothing to do with that.

"Our fate was determined long ago, by the origin of our blood," Luce told him. "Even if the gods that sleep within us engulf us in flames, we will not waver in our resolve."

Reborn looked away.

Across from them, Vongola Primo watched with inhuman glowing eyes, a Flame shining upon his forehead. What was the vaunted Vongola blood? Not youkai. Not demon. But not human either. That power was not human.

Primo held one hand over his heart and bowed deeply. The ring on his finger burned with the same pure Flame.

Then, suddenly, the flames went out, and Reborn was left in darkness. In the distance, the bell was ringing. How many more times would it toll?

"One hundred and eight all together. One for every human sin, according to certain beliefs," someone said, in a tone that might have been amused, if it hadn't been so detached. "Greed, wrath, hatred… Humans have many sins."

Reborn turned slowly, but he could see nothing in the darkness.

"Tell me, do you hate me?" that same someone asked. "It does not matter. There is no choice. A living Will is necessary to light a Flame."

One hundred six… One hundred seven… One hundred eight.

Reborn woke up with a profound sense of unease. He couldn't remember his dream, but he was left with a grating knowledge of contradiction.

~.~.~

**Chapter 24 The cycle of the world**

Although Reborn had seen Namimori Shrine back in August, during the Obon festival, he found the small temple and its grounds almost unrecognizable on New Year's Day.

The shrine was packed with people, and a line stretched past the ceremonial gate and down the long staircase. It seemed like every resident of the town had turned up to pray and pay their respects.

"It's the busiest time of the year," Tsuna said. "Kyoko and her brother are helping out the caretaker, actually." He blushed a little, imagining Kyoko in a miko's red and white outfit.

The line advanced steadily, up the stairs and onto the shrine grounds. Eventually, it was Tsuna's turn. Stepping up to the shrine, he clapped his hands twice and pulled the heavy rope. Overhead, the large bells clanged.

Reflexively, Reborn twitched.

Moving away to allow the next party to step up, Tsuna drifted toward the souvenir stand, manned by Kyoko. She smiled at Tsuna cheerfully, making him blush.

The repetitive ringing of the shrine bell was grating on Reborn's nerves. It seemed to echo somewhere in Reborn's memories, putting him constantly on edge. The press of people around them was distracting, with his senses in overdrive. Each innocent visitor seemed like a potential assassin.

Hopping off Tsuna's shoulder, Reborn dodged between the moving forest of legs and quickly made his way out of the crowd.

He took refuge behind the shrine, where visitors did not normally venture. The voices and bell were muted, letting Reborn relax a little. He hadn't reacted so badly in a long time, not since he was a completely green rookie on his first assignment. Worse, he couldn't even pin down what had made him so unsettled.

Just to compound his embarrassment, a voice behind him made Reborn jump.

"Oh? Do you need help, okyaku-sama?"

Reborn spun around, Leon already shifting into a gun as he took aim at the intruder — a man of indeterminable age, dressed in traditional clothing. Reborn hadn't noticed his approach at all; he couldn't be a normal human.

Seemingly unbothered by the gun — but many people weren't, assuming it was a toy — or Reborn's killing intent, the man smiled, his round glasses glinting a little.

He had addressed Reborn as "customer," which meant he worked at the shrine.

"Are you the caretaker?" Reborn asked, keeping his tone unreadable.

"At this time," the man said, his smiled unwavering. "I am Kawahira."

The silence between them felt entirely too heavy.

"Reborn?" Tsuna called out, peering around the side of the shrine. "Oh, Kawahira-san, hello. Reborn, I'm heading home. Are you coming?"

"I was just waiting for you to finish flirting," Reborn said dismissively, jumping back onto Tsuna's shoulder. "A good hitman knows when to step aside and let someone else take the stage."

As Tsuna blushed and sputtered, Kawahira regarded them with the same strange smile. "Make sure to have a good year," he called out to them. "Don't leave any regrets."

When Reborn glanced back, he was gone. Again, he hadn't sensed it.

"Tsuna," Reborn said, keeping his tone even, "what is he?"

"Kawahira-ojisan? I don't know," Tsuna replied. "He's not like us. He's something else."

It wasn't, Reborn realized with a sudden chill, that Tsuna didn't recognize Kawahira's exact species. It was that Kawahira's existence was beyond the scope of Tsuna's knowledge.

That man was not ayakashi. Not youkai. Not a demon, as they were called in Europe, or a supernatural being.

But he was not a human.

So what was he?

And why did something about him feel so familiar to Reborn, in the deepest part of his mind?

~.~.~

**Chapter 25 A happy year**

Tsuna collapsed on the bed face first, sighing into his pillow. "So tired," he muttered.

"Dame-Tsuna, dry off first," Reborn instructed. "You're getting the sheets wet." He ignored the way he sounded like a nagging parent. It was part of his duty as a tutor. If Tsuna got sick, they would be forced to take entire days off training.

"'S your fault," Tsuna mumbled. "I got snow down my shirt an' in my shoes…"

Indeed, the snowball fight had turned rather intense at points, with the unexpected team switches, new teams entering the battle and rule changes. Well, the Vongola famiglia was supposed to be like that. Reborn had perhaps gotten a bit carried away himself. He hadn't intended to go through all those costumes.

"But," Tsuna said, turning on his side to look at Reborn, "it was fun, just like the New Year's competition. Thanks, Reborn."

"Humph. A strong bond, both with your Guardians and the Boss of one of Vongola's top allies, will be important for you in the future, Decimo," he said.

"… Do you think I can have that? Many strong bonds?" Tsuna wondered quietly. "Will there be many more days like this — hectic and crazy and tiring, but so much fun?"

"It won't always be like that," Reborn said. He didn't want to lie, but… he didn't want to tell Tsuna the truth either. He didn't want Tsuna to think of only the blood and darkness that was such a prevalent, pervasive part of the mafia. "It's not always like that," he repeated, "but your famiglia will always be with you."

"That's good enough for me. It's more than enough," Tsuna said, smiling softly. "If even one day a year can be like this, I think I can be happy."

It didn't matter, of course, whether he agreed to it or not, whether he was happy or not. Reborn had accepted the mission of making Tsuna into Timoteo's successor, and he would not fail. But all the same…

"It's good that you've come to terms with your future, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn said, keeping his voice light. "Now that you understand, I can increase your training menu. If you whine, I'll have to punish you."

Tsuna groaned, only to end up laughing, his mood too good to be ruined even by promises of future torture.

"Thank you, Reborn," he said again. "For the last half year. It's been the happiest part of my life. I made friends and met so many new people. I learned so much. And…" his voice grew soft as he hid his face again, "for the first time I was able to feel like I am truly glad to be alive."

His earnest feelings made even Reborn feel like hiding his face. Tilting his fedora down, the hitman grumbled, "Go to sleep, Dame-Tsuna. You're going to have a long day tomorrow. And don't forget to get dry sheets."

~.~.~

A/N: The creepy dream special seems to have caused some confusion, so I will attempt to explain to the… two of you who are reading.

It's supposed to be confusing, so feel free to interpret differently, but this is the "official" interpretation.

The entire dream is mostly just Reborn's subconsciousness acting up. Reborn dreams about the coffin because that's become his biggest fear — that Tsuna will die. The fact that he's come to care so much for Tsuna is what actually links Tsuna to Luce in Reborn's mind.

She died because it was her "fate" as Sky Arcobaleno. Reborn connects this to Tsuna's "fate" of becoming Vongola Decimo. That fate was handed down to Tsuna because of Primo, hence his appearance. (Reborn may or may not know the connection between the Pacifiers and the Vongola Rings.)

However, underpinning all this is something that Reborn has been subconsciously pondering and has yet to realize on the conscious level. The dream drops large hints toward this point, but it all gets twisted up in Reborn's emotional concerns. It concerns the nature of Flames.

Reborn and Gokudera have said that Flames can only be used by humans. That power is different from ayakashi/youkai/demons/"the supernatural." However, Reborn notes that Primo's lineage is "not human." And it is from Primo's bloodline that strong Flames come.

So what does that mean?

On some level, there is a reason why Luce is equivalent-ed to Primo. There are "gods that sleep within them." And then, of course, guest appearance by Kawahira as a creepy disembodied voice. He may or may not actually be inside Reborn's dream. It might be some kind of memory that got lost under all the trauma of becoming an Arcobaleno.

But hey, all this is totally not relevant for like, another eighty chapters, which I wouldn't count on getting actually written.

~.~.~


	8. Ipin, Fon, Fuuta

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 26 Enter the dragon**

When his Pacifier began to glow with a faint yellow light, Reborn surreptitiously left his observation spot in the tree outside Tsuna's classroom and made his way to the roof.

The other Arcobaleno found him soon enough. Reborn had already guessed that it was Fon. He was the only one who would bother making his presence known so politely.

"Hello, Reborn," Fon greeted him.

"I heard you took on a student," Reborn said bluntly, his own form of greeting.

Some might have taken it as a threat — I know what you've been doing and what you value — but Fon only continued to smile.

"I heard the same about you," Fon commented. "I remember you swearing off any such assignments after the young Cavallone Don."

"It's a personal favor to Nono," Reborn said dismissively, trying not to think of the way certain parts tutoring Dino had almost driven him to drunken melodramatics. In particular, the entire thing with Superbi Squalo had been… No, he didn't even want to go there.

Fon kept smiling. Reborn tried to tell himself it was only paranoia that made the expression seem so sadistically amused.

Still, Fon was probably the most tolerable of the Arcobaleno, and paranoia or not, the two of them settled down to watch the antics of their students.

"Ipin still has trouble distinguishing people," Fon explained as the tiny figure in a red uniform similar to his tried to attack Tsuna. For a child, she (?) was quite good, certainly leagues ahead of Lambo, but Reborn judged that Tsuna was in no real danger, even without a Dying Will bullet to help him along.

And then Ipin turned into a dragon.

An Eastern one, naturally. Because she got embarrassed.

Reborn didn't even bother being surprised.

"So your student is descended from a dragon," he noted dryly. "That's a powerful bloodline." Theoretically. You never knew, with supernatural beings.

"In a way," Fon said, his smile unwavering. He would probably keep smiling at the end of the world. "More precisely, all of Ipin's ancestors are dragons. My student is a dragon, one hundred percent. Ipin has just learned to take human form."

The last part was said in the warm, proud tones of a master — "Ipin just learned to tie her shoes," "Ipin just learned to perform a spinning kick," "Ipin just learned to kill a man three times her size."

Reborn tried to convey how unimpressed he was with the flattest look an infant could make. He was proud to say that Fon looked faintly abashed, though still smiling.

"I was very surprised to encounter a living dragon during my training," he explained. "But I realized that Ipin was very young. I don't know what happened to the parents, but Ipin was all alone. Before I knew it, the little one had gotten attached and wanted to follow me out of the mountains…"

Reborn tried to make his look flatter — an unfortunately impossible feat.

Fon smiled and shrugged a little.

Sighing, Reborn let it go. After all his own student occasionally turned into a baby fox.

There was one thing still bothering him.

"Fon," he said, "that child… Is it a boy or a girl?"

"I have no idea," Fon replied. "I'm not sure how to tell, with a dragon."

~.~.~

**Chapter 27 A master's wish**

Nana confirmed that Ipin was, in fact, a girl. She also all but ordered Ipin to stay the night at the Sawada home.

…despite dragon Ipin and bull Lambo getting into a fight and breaking quite a bit of the house. Apparently, the threat of more property destruction was just not a deterrent to Nana.

"She seems very happy here," Fon mentioned when he joined Reborn on the roof late that night. "Ipin, I mean. I don't know what happened to her family, but I think I was the first one to get close to her since them. I suppose children are always happier when they have others to play with."

"She fits right in with this bunch," Reborn said. He intended the words to be disparaging, but they came out more exasperated than anything.

"Yes," Fon agreed, "they are all very unique, lonely children."

"They're not alone. They're part of Tsuna's famiglia," Reborn said.

Fon nodded slowly, uncharacteristically hesitant. "This family… Do you think it has room for one more?" he asked finally.

Reborn hadn't expected that. He understood what Fon really meant. "You seem very fond of her," he noted with unusual tact. "Are you really planning to end your apprenticeship so quickly?"

"Ipin is already quiet strong, and in the end, there is a limit to how much I can teach her," Fon said quietly. "But you're right. I am very fond of her. That is why I want to make sure she is not alone, even when I can no longer be with her."

Reborn understood the meaning behind those words as well. This was why the bearers of the pacifiers so disliked being around one another. All it did was remind them of their shared burden and the price they would be forced to pay all too soon.

"I want to continue teaching her, for as long as I am able," Fon continued, the faintest, almost undetectable tremor in his voice. "But I believe that will not be nearly as long as I wish."

"…She can't light a Flame, and she could never become a Guardian," Reborn judged neutrally. "But… it seems like she already has a place in Tsuna's family."

Somewhere below them, Lambo and Ipin curled up together on his bed, exhausted by their evening of rough housing — an unlikely pair that had already, in truth, become fast friends.

~.~.~

**Chapter 28 New type**

Although Reborn had given his tacit approval to have Ipin join the Sawada household, it wasn't long before he regretted it, and not just because of the constant squabbles Lambo and Ipin got into.

...Even if some of those fights involved having two mythical creatures duking it out, all too often still inside the house.

No, the real problem was that this decision seemed to have been some sign to the universe that, apparently, said, "Send your lonely, unique children here!" to use Fon's words.

In no time at all, they picked up another one — Fuuta de la Stella, the Ranking Prince.

He came with an interesting and useful ability — good — and an entire cadre of bounty hunters and unscrupulous mafiosi after him — bad. Or at least annoying.

"Another one?" Gokudera muttered, clearly of like mind with Reborn, when he was introduced to the newest addition to their group.

Puffing up, Fuuta decided to prove his worth. Although he gave no sign of it, Reborn didn't like being made to float directionlessly, with scant control of his own trajectory. In retaliation, he grabbed hold of the hair on the nearest person still in their seat, which happened to be Yamamoto.

The baseball ace just laughed as Reborn tugged at small fistfuls of his hair. "That's a really amazing trick he's got," Yamamoto commented. "Is it like that special fire thing Tsuna does? The human-only one?"

"No," Reborn said slowly. He hadn't expected the question, since Tsuna tended to accept things with minimal or no explanation at all, and Gokudera already knew about most aspects of the mafia's secrets. "No," he repeated, "Fuuta has a unique psychic power. Psychic powers are different from Dying Will Flames."

Yamamoto tilted his head, trying look at Reborn, only to be thwarted as the hitman, still anchored to Yamamoto's hair, was pulled out of sight by the same gesture. "But it's not an ayakashi thing either," he noted. It seemed to be something he could just tell. Tsuna was the same way, and Reborn couldn't help wondering why Gokudera seemed so much less sensitive. Did one generation really make such a difference, or was it something individual?

"Psychic powers come from humans," Reborn said. "Fuuta is human. If he has any other bloodline, it is latent and not at all expressed."

Yamamoto hummed thoughtfully. "So it's a human-only thing," he said. "But not like the fire thing. Man, humans can sure have a lot of special powers."

As always, Yamamoto's tone was light and completely guileless. He seemed to lose interest in the conversation, instead turning his attention to Fuuta's rankings and laughing at something that had been revealed.

However, something about his comment made Reborn frown as the words echoed in the back of his mind.

Psychic powers came from humans. They were abilities that arose within humans, and humans alone, not stemming from any other bloodline. Although they were rare, Reborn knew quite a bit about them, mostly thanks to Viper's lectures — which he had, of course, been forced to pay for.

Viper himself was said to be the most powerful psychic in the world, capable of even shattering objects with his mind. But that ability had been separate and unrelated to his Flame-based illusions. If anything, he had complained that the two were difficult to combine, like oil and water, he said.

But Flames, as well, came from humans.

…Or did they?

Primo's bloodline, so strong in Flame. And Luce, who had always held a touch of something else…

In some way, they had not been entirely human, and it had been with that otherness that their Flames burned so brightly.

Reborn barely noticed as gravity was suddenly and violently restored, sending assorted object, furniture and Reborn himself crashing to the floor.

All he could think of was the question he had never really asked before. Where did Flames truly come from? If not to humans, then to whom did they first belong?

Without thinking, he reached up to place a hand over his Pacifier. It was warm, like always.

~.~.~


	9. Spring

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 29 Sakura, sakura**

The last day of the school year should have been a joyous occasion. Instead, the atmosphere at Namimori Middle was one of fear.

Hibari was on the prowl, and he was not happy. He had been beyond brutal in his punishment of a group of students who'd had the temerity to cheer at the prospect of graduating. Apparently, unlike every other student — and teacher, for that matter — Hibari was not happy about the school year ending.

And when Hibari was unhappy, everyone else was utterly miserable. He made sure of it.

The tension he radiated had escalated throughout the last day until it reached the point that the teachers were afraid to announce the end of school and send everyone home. It felt like the entire school had been taken hostage.

Reborn had picked a terrible time disappear off somewhere.

Tsuna sighed, watching as their home room teacher fluttered nervously at the front of the class, too afraid to dismiss them, all the while glancing out the windows into the main courtyard, where Hibari stood beside the gates glaring up at the blooming sakura trees as if they had personally insulted him.

Certainly the falling petals would create quite the mess, but wasn't this a little too much?

Tsuna sighed again and grumbled, "What's with him? We'll be back in school in no time, and it's not like he only bites people to death on school grounds."

Next to him, Kyoko giggled. "Did you forget, Tsuna-kun?" she asked. "Hibari-sempai is one year older that my brother. So this was his last year at Nami-chuu. He'll be a high school student from now on."

Groaning, Tsuna facepalmed. "That's what this is about?" he wondered, exasperated.

He looked up as the class simultaneously drew a sharp breath. Everyone was staring fixedly out into the courtyard, and some had even risen out of their seats, standing frozen. Tsuna was almost afraid to find out what they were looking at.

He turned slowly. Then, he choked on his own spit.

Hibari was still standing in the same place, blocking the gates and any hope of escape, but some brave or perhaps suicidal fool had stepped out the building and was approaching him leisurely.

Tsuna recognized the white lab coat, the messy dark hair, the lazy slouch — it was Shamal, who had taken up a job as the school nurse, not that he seemed to actually treat anyone.

As Shamal drew up to where Hibari was standing, the prefect made an angry gesture. Shamal rubbed the back of his head, and it seemed as if the two were exchanging words.

Then, just as Hibari readied his weapons as if to attack, the prefect suddenly swayed, took a shaky step forward and toppled over.

Shamal caught him easily and hitched him up over one shoulder. Turning to head back to the school building, he looked up and waved. The class burst into cheers. Through the walls, Tsuna could hear other classrooms doing the same.

When he was greeted by ecstatic if slightly nervous students and teachers in the entry hall, Shamal claimed that he had noticed Hibari feeling a bit under the weather that day. Supposedly, the prefect had come down with some rare illness that Shamal would now help treat.

This was, of course complete nonsense. For one, Shamal never treated men. For two, he was the one who purposefully infected Hibari in the first place.

Not that Tsuna wasn't moderately grateful.

~.~.~

**Chapter 30 What spring brought**

"That was certainly a memorable last day," Kyoko said cheerfully.

She and Tsuna were among the last to leave, most of the student body having stampeded out the moment Shamal cleared the way. They, perhaps wisely, had no intention of still being around when Hibari's "treatment" was completed.

They came to a halt at the school gates. "I promised to meet my friend after school to celebrate," Kyoko explained. "So I guess I'll see you next year!"

"I… I hope we're in the same class again," Tsuna stammered out, blushing furiously.

Kyoko smiled, but the happiness quickly slipped from her face, and her expression became unusually serious. She chewed her lip, unsure how to proceed. "Tsuna-kun…" Kyoko began. "My friend… Haru told me that… people have been seeing strange figures around town."

"Does Hibari know?" Tsuna wondered, frowning faintly. Was that another reason for the prefect's recent foul mood? …Had he been trying to keep them on school grounds to protect them?

Kyoko shrugged a little, her expression still grim and worried. "These people wear dark cloaks and seem to just appear out of thin air and then vanish without a trace," Kyoko continued. "It seems like they've been chasing people too, but no one is sure. I don't know if they're connected to us… but please be careful, okay?"

"Okay," Tsuna said, warmed by her concern. "You too."

Returning his smile, Kyoko began to brighten as she pushed her worries aside. "It might be just some stunt," she said hopefully. "I mean, I heard they wear top hats too! No one does that anymore!"

They both laughed, before Kyoko hurried away, waving back to Tsuna.

"It's probably nothing," Tsuna said to himself. But he couldn't dispel the sudden sense of uneasiness that gripped him. He felt cold, and he didn't even know why.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Reborn said quietly.

Tsuna didn't jump, turning to glance at the hitman who stood on top of the school gates. Reborn noted his lack of reaction with interest. It was as if Tsuna had known he was there, despite being lost in his own thoughts.

"And you don't think so either," he continued. "Did you have a flash of intuition? A certain sense of certainty?"

Tsuna frowned, glancing away. "I can't explain it, but I feel uneasy," he said slowly. "It's like there's a shadow spreading across town, cold and malevolent. But it's different than anything I've felt before. It's not the same as back then…"

A cold, malevolent shadow… Reborn nodded to himself. "It seems your Vongola blood is awakening," he said. "The reason you don't recognize it is because this isn't something that comes from the world you're familiar with. Come on, I have a lot to tell you."

If Tsuna's Hyper Intuition was finally beginning to come through, that could only be a good thing.

However, if Reborn had his way, they wouldn't be testing it out. Not yet, not like this, and certainly not against the shadows that had come to Namimori.

~.~.~

**Chapter 31 Black-cloaked reapers**

"I've been hearing some things from Italy that I needed to look into," Reborn began. "That's why I've been away for the last few days. I didn't expect them to act so arrogantly and show themselves in broad daylight in the meantime."

"What do you mean, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, his voice low and surprisingly firm. "What did you find out?" His hands were clenched tightly against his knees as he knelt on the bed, facing Reborn on the chair.

"The rumors Kyoko heard from her friend are true," Reborn said. "A certain group has come to Namimori, and they have been attacking people in the streets. I imagine that's what put Hibari so on edge. Even he wouldn't have been able to track them down or predict where they would strike next."

The prefect must have been driving himself mad with frustration. Outsiders, in his town, attacking his people, but leaving him nothing to go on — no hint of their identity, their goals or their location. Hibari wouldn't have known where to even start.

This was, after all, nothing to do with ayakashi. This was a mafia matter.

"They are the Vindice," Reborn pronounced, feeling Tsuna's heavy, uneasy gaze on him. "They are the mafia world's enforcers. They punish those who step outside certain boundaries, and they keep the mafia's secrets from the outside world. They are the law of the mafia."

There was a lot more he could say, and Reborn wondered whether it was even possible for an outsider to understand what the Vindice were. It was not just their sheer, unmatched power that perpetuated their reputation of fear, but also their casual cruelty, their unrelenting, uncompromising pursuit of their targets, their seemingly arbitrary laws and enforcement methods, and also their unknown, unknowable abilities, which matched nothing within any record, whether of Flames or psychics or gods or demons.

But Reborn didn't mention any of that. Tsuna would have time to learn, and for now all he needed was to know to stay out of their way.

"The Vindice," Reborn continued, "have come here looking for an escaped criminal."

And hadn't that been a surprise. To escape the Vindice, even temporarily, had been considered impossible.

"His name is Rokudo Mukuro. He and his group wiped out entire famiglie before being captured by the Vindice. He was to be executed, but the day before his execution, he was able to escape. The Vindice have pursued him here, to Japan," Reborn concluded, relaying the gist of the information provided by his contacts back in Italy.

Tsuna was silent for several long moments, processing what he had been told.

"Then why are they attacking people?" Tsuna finally asked.

Nodding approvingly, Reborn explained, "Rokudo uses a forbidden technique — possession. He is able to take over the bodies of those with weak defenses. He has been avoiding the Vindice by changing bodies often, and as a result they have been attacking people seemingly at random, trying to capture him."

Tsuna nodded slowly. "Then what about his real body? Did he hide it somewhere or is it still with these enforcer people?"

That was a good question. "I don't know," Reborn admitted. "The Vindice didn't exactly make an announcement. I suppose it's possible he left his body behind in Vendicare — the prison run by the Vindice — but then why wouldn't they just go ahead and execute him? Even if that didn't kill him outright, left without an anchor, his spirit would lose power and eventually fade away."

At least, that was how astral projection usually worked.

"Maybe not," Tsuna said, frowning thoughtfully. "If it's like ikiryou — spirits of the living separating for their bodies and possessing or cursing people — then killing the body might turn him into a vengeful ghost. Most of them fade away, but if he's already this powerful, then I doubt he'll just disappear. Some vengeful spirits only grow stronger, until…"

Those who had possessed strange powers in life became that much stronger in death, after they were stripped of their human limitations. And an existence without life could persist almost indefinitely, fueled ever further by its own rage and hatred.

The very idea of a powerful malicious ghost scared Tsuna, though Reborn had a hard time imagining the Vindice sharing that hesitation. After all, what kind of being could possibly escape their grasp?

Of course, Reborn knew little of malevolent spirits or exorcisms. He supposed that perhaps even the Vindice would have a hard time killing something that was already dead.

Swallowing heavily, Tsuna continued, "A-anyway, dealing with a dead spirit is always much harder than with a living one. Maybe they want to avoid that."

"Maybe," Reborn allowed. Shaking his head, he told Tsuna, "For now, all you need to focus on is staying out of their way. The Vindice will capture their target. They always do. And then, they'll leave. But anyone or anything that interferes…"

Eyes widening in concern, Tsuna nodded.

~.~.~

**Chapter 32 Intuition**

"We have to tell the others," Tsuna said, "about the Vindice and this criminal who's possessing people."

"I doubt any of them would be suitable hosts for him," Reborn said. "They're all strong willed, and they're not ordinary humans. People like that are much harder to affect with any mental technique."

Tsuna shook his head. "I know. That's not what I'm worried about. But what if they see the Vindice attacking someone? I don't think any of them will just watch."

That was a very good point. Hibari was fortunately unconscious, but Yamamoto or Kyoko's brother Ryohei would probably attack first and ask questions later, if they ended up on the scene when the Vindice appeared again.

"Gokudera and Bianchi know better, and she'll keep the kids out of trouble," Reborn judged, "but you're right about the others. I'll tell them. You stay here. Don't go outside. I mean it, Dame-Tsuna."

"You don't have to be like that. I wouldn't pick a fight with people that scary," Tsuna huffed, earning himself a cuff across the head from Reborn.

Reborn wasn't entirely sure whether that was the case. Thinking back on certain training sessions, Tsuna didn't always act in the interests of self preservation or in ways that obeyed logic or common sense. It was entirely too easy to imagine Tsuna seeing the Vindice bearing down on a child, possessed by Rokudo Mukuro, and deciding to protect the innocent civilian dragged into the mafia's mess, ignoring all the reasons why it was a bad idea.

But that wasn't Reborn's only concern or even his biggest one. What worried him far more was the question of why Rokudo Mukuro had come to Namimori in the first place. Reborn didn't believe in coincidences, and out of all the people in Namimori, Tsuna held the highest value, even if he didn't realize that.

Mukuro hated the mafia. He had destroyed entire famiglie for the crime of being part of the mafia world. There was no telling what he might do to the Vongola Decimo, no matter how young or blameless.

"Don't leave the house," Reborn repeated, "and don't let anyone inside."

Unfortunately, Reborn's intuition was correct, on both count — regarding the true target and also Tsuna's comparative lack of concern for his own well being.

It wasn't too long after Reborn had left that the front door opened. As always, Nana had not thought to lock it, and Reborn had gone out a window instead.

Tsuna glanced up from the TV, unsurprised. People were always wandering in and out of their house these days.

"Oh, Gokudera," Tsuna greeted, catching sight of the familiar silver hair as his friend stepped out of the entryway. "Reborn just left. He wanted to tell everyone about…"

Gokudera smiled, turning to Tsuna as he trailed off. "Hmm? Tell me what?" he asked, taking another step toward the couch.

Tsuna stood suddenly, moving quickly to meet him halfway. Before his friend could react, he grabbed Gokudera's wrist and pulled him back toward the front door.

"I'll tell you outside," Tsuna said, throwing a strained smile over his shoulder. "I don't want to get Mom and the kids involved."

Gokudera smiled faintly in understanding, allowing himself to be led out of the house and onto the streets.

As they reached the nearby park and playground - abandoned in the wake of the recent "attacks" - Tsuna said, "This should be good. No one will bother us here."

"That's perfect," Gokudera said, just behind him. His voice was low and not at all like himself. "Thank you, Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun…"

But Tsuna had realized something was wrong long before. The way he walked, his expressions, his entire posture, everything had been not Gokudera. Tsuna might not have known what happened to his friend or why he had come to the Sawada house, but his first instinct had been to lead this threat away from Nana and the children.

His second instinct screamed for him to dodge.

Tsuna threw himself aside, just in time to avoid a stab in the back. As he scrambled to his feet, well trained by Reborn to always keep moving, Tsuna could see a strange three pronged weapon like a sai flashing in Gokudera's hand.

The person wearing his friend's face sighed. "Oya, oya," he drawled, shaking his head with a false smile. "You just had to make this difficult, didn't you? Be a good boy and accept my mark quietly. We don't have a lot of time, you know."

After all, the Vindice could arrive at any moment, now that their target had revealed himself once more.

"Rokudo Mukuro," Tsuna said slowly. "What have you done to Gokudera?"

~.~.~

**Notes:** It's probably not very clear, and I didn't know how express it better, but the Vindice actually have some experience with a human medium becoming a malevolent ghost — Daemon. Yeah, they really don't want another Daemon, especially with Mukuro's disposition and goals.

I realized there might be some confusion about the timing here. Japanese school year ends in March and begins again in April, with only a little while in between. That is also around the time sakura trees bloom.

~.~.~


	10. Mukuro

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. At least, not if Reborn has anything to say about it. Still, something he really wishes his student wasn't quite so weird.

**Notes:** Originally posted on my tumblr as just something to keep me writing when inspiration waned. I'm gathering the short chapters and posting them here for posterity.

~.~.~

**Chapter 33 His goal**

"Rokudo Mukuro," Tsuna said slowly. "What have you done to Gokudera?"

Mukuro chuckled. "Oh, don't be like that. It's nothing much," he said.

Pulling Gokudera's free hand out of his pocket, Mukuro displayed the palm — and the bloody gash in the middle of it. Only now Tsuna realized that the faint scent of blood had been part of what set him on edge from the start.

"I just gave him my mark," Mukuro said, twirling his three pronged weapon meaningfully. "For a mafioso, he was rather easy to take down. Fell for the simplest trick in the book — a little boy asking him for help. He didn't even hesitate to leave himself open…"

In other words, Mukuro had possessed a child and used him approach Gokudera, who had let his guard down enough to get cut by Mukuro's weapon. Tsuna's eyes darted to the strange object. It was ornate and almost ritualistic, and it obviously allowed Mukuro to possesses those that would normally be able to resist him.

'A mark, huh?' Tsuna thought, watching Mukuro carefully.

"If you're using a method like that, you must still be alive," he judged. "You still have a living Will, which can be resisted and damaged. But the fact that you can leave your body like this means you've been touched by death."

"Oh? You can tell all that?" Mukuro mused, his smile indulgent and unwavering. The expression looked completely out place on Gokudera's face. "Is this the fabled Vongola intuition at work?"

"You're like a medium," Tsuna continued, as if he hadn't heard Mukuro's taunts. "A medium is created most often when a person has a near death experience. Or rather, when they die temporarily but are able to return to life. Like someone who drowns but is then resuscitated. Or someone whose heart stops on the operating table only to start beating again."

Slowly, Mukuro's smile slipped away, leaving him to look at Tsuna with a strange expression. "Those are some very good guesses. It's almost like you know me," he joked, but his humor held a distinct bite. "As a reward, I suppose I'll tell you — you're right. I've experienced death, and rebirth. I remember dying six times."

"Six?" Tsuna's eyes widened, his calm demeanor slipping away. "But that… that can't be…"

That couldn't occur naturally. What kind of life would leave you on the brink of death six times?

Mukuro smirked again, nodding as if he could read Tsuna's thoughts. "It was caused intentionally," he confirmed. "An experiment, of sorts. They wanted to see what kind of power would be created from such an existence. I would say they succeeded beyond their wildest expectations. But I suppose I may be biased!"

He laughed, like it was a funny joke.

Watching him, Tsuna swallowed heavily, suddenly both afraid and very saddened.

"Well, enough chitchat," Mukuro said, his laughter cutting off as quickly as it had come. He regarded Tsuna calmly once more, having regained control of their encounter. "We don't have much time, before our cloaked friends come looking for me again, and that would be very bad. For you as well, or should I say, for your friend. You see, to get to me, they'll have to take him away too, and I'm not too sure they'll give him back afterwards…"

He shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

Tsuna's eyes narrowed, and he gritted his teeth as he realized what Mukuro was implying. He was essentially holding Gokudera hostage, and on a time limit at that.

"What do you want?" Tsuna demanded impatiently, his fists clenching helplessly.

"Oh, but you know what I want," Mukuro said. "I want to place my mark on you. So be a good boy and accept it. That's all you need to do…"

He twirled his three pronged weapon meaningfully and took a step forward, only for Tsuna to instinctively back away.

"Why? Are you trying to destroy Vongola the way you did those other famiglie?" Tsuna asked.

"Such concern," Mukuro said, mockingly. "But you don't need to worry. I've given up on that. Now… I just want to survive. I'm willing to do anything to that end, even sacrifice my allies or," his lips twisted in a sneer, "allow myself to work with the mafia."

He could see that Tsuna hadn't understood yet.

"It's simple," Mukuro explained. "Just as you want to protect your friend from the Vindice, so the Vingola famiglia will protect you… and me, as long as I am inside you. You, dear Tsunayoshi, will become my shield."

~.~.~

**Chapter 34 Protected and protector**

As Mukuro explained his goal — to force the entire Vongola famiglia to protect him by possessing their precious Decimo — Tsuna could only stare in shock.

He almost agreed. It seemed like a simple choice, take Gokudera's place as Mukuro's puppet, save his friend at the low cost of his own freedom. However, something made him hesitate.

'Just as you wish to protect your friend from the Vindice, so the Vongola famiglia will protect you…'

Mukuro's words echoed in his mind. Just as Tsuna wished to protect Gokudera, his friend would do the same for him. There was no doubt that Gokudera would not hesitate to face even the dreaded Vindice to protect Tsuna — he would charge into a fight he couldn't win, for Tsuna's sake. And if Mukuro was right, then so would the rest of the famiglia.

For Tsuna's sake, they would fight to the death in a hopeless battle.

Swallowing heavily, Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. He couldn't allow that. It was his duty as the next boss to never allow that to happen. He wouldn't become a burden, a liability to them.

"No?" Mukuro asked, his tone mild and disappointed. "So you'd just leave your friend to the dogs? You are more of a mafioso than I expected. What a letdown…"

"You're wrong…" Tsuna said quietly. "I'm not giving up on Gokudera. I'll protect him, from you and even from the Vindice if I have to."

He raised his head, squaring his shoulders, and met Mukuro's mismatched gaze. His eyes seemed to burn gold.

Mukuro hesitated for a moment, but a twisted smile slowly spread across Gokudera's face. His shoulders began to shake. Throwing his head back, he laughed.

"You, against the Vindice? You truly are naive!" Still chuckling, Mukuro took a step back. This was truly a lost cause, he decided. He couldn't use his powers too much, or they would be on him even faster, but if this boy wanted to be his shield, he would oblige. "Fine then, fight. And die." But Mukuro had no intention of sticking around to see it.

"I won't die," Tsuna said calmly. "I'll protect my family with my Dying Will."

A small Flame flickered to life above his forehead. Stronger and brighter, it grew with every even, determined heartbeat. The Tenth Generation Vongola Boss had found his resolve.

~.~.~

**Chapter 35 Moving on**

Reborn had many ways of keeping track of his student. It wouldn't do to lose the Vongola Decimo, after all. He learned that lesson when Dino took a wrong turn on the way home and ended up missing for a week.

So Reborn had known as soon as Tsuna left the house. He had cursed — what was Dame-Tsuna doing, and after Reborn had specifically told him to stay put — and immediately headed back.

Unfortunately, he had already been halfway across town at that point. By the time he reached them, Mukuro and Tsuna were in the midst of their standoff, and there had been nothing to do except listen to Mukuro's terms and load sniper rifle Leon with a Dying Will bullet.

The bullet proved unnecessary.

Reborn had known that someday Tsuna would light his Flames unassisted. He had never imagined that it would be so soon. Every boss had learned to enter Dying Will Mode, true, but that had been after rigorous training, sometimes years of it, and after a life of danger and bloodshed.

Tsuna's Sky Flames burned pure and strong.

Caught by the flickering of his Flame, Reborn had almost missed Tsuna's next move. The Vongola Decimo had not waited for Mukuro to regain himself and instead immediately darted forward to wrench away his opponent's weapon.

Mukuro cursed, belatedly trying to snatch it back, but Tsuna had already jumped back, out of reach. He grasped it at the base of the three prongs. Holding it up, Tsuna began to tighten his hold.

The ornate silver weapon did not bend, as an ordinary object might.

Under the enhanced strength of Dying Will Mode, it cracked, fault lines spreading across its entire surface.

"No!" Mukuro yelled, but it was already too late.

His weapon shattered into a myriad silver shards. They did not even reach the ground, crumbling into nothing more than fine dust that disappeared on the wind.

Mukuro staggered, a hand coming up to clutch at his head, as Tsuna watched calmly.

"Your mark of possession has been erased," he judged, his voice low and even. "Gokudera will soon drive you out, and you no longer have any way of claiming my body. It would be best for you to leave now, before the Vindice arrive."

Snarling, Mukuro lunged got him, hands reaching for Tsuna's throat. "If you're no use to me, then just die!" he yelled.

However, Tsuna easily caught his wrists and held him at bay, even as Mukuro's fingers twisted, claw like, and sought to wrap around his neck.

"There is something I want to tell you, before you go," Tsuna calmly, without a hint of exertion showing in his voice. "It has to do with your possession ability. As someone who has been touched by death, you carry a strong sense of otherness, a spiritual cold spot that even ordinary people can sense."

Even so clearly overpowered, Mukuro continued to single-mindedly reach for his enemy. His crimson right eye widened, the number engraved within changing to a four. Pale flames flickered within it, and power engulfed his stolen body.

"When you possesses someone, that aura grows stronger, building within them. That is how the Vindice are able to find you," Tsuna continued, apparently unconcerned as Mukuro's strength grew and holding him back became a struggle. "However, that presence can be masked. Even with you using your powers like this, the Vindice have not come yet. That is because Gokudera is not a human. His blood is different too. So his presence is masking yours."

Something about Tsuna's words seemed to penetrate through the haze on rage and hatred clouding Mukuro's mind.

"If you are within someone whose own aura is like yours, a medium who has been touched by death, they will not be able to find you," Tsuna said, catching and holding his gaze.

Mukuro hesitated, his struggles momentarily halting.

In that moment, Tsuna surged forward, at the same time as he suddenly dragged Mukuro toward himself. Their foreheads met with a crack, Tsuna's Dying Will Flame flaring between them.

Mukuro let out a strangled, choked groan, but it was Gokudera who looked back at Tsuna, a trickle of blood flowing down his face. "J-Juudaime," he muttered, swayed, and then collapsed, eyes rolling back into his head.

Tsuna blinked down at his friend's form unsteadily, swaying as well. He turned slowly to look at Reborn as his tutor approached, Leon once more in his natural form.

It had been very tempting to make his entrance with a flying kick to the back of Tsuna's head. Certainly, the little fool deserved it. But just this once, Reborn would let him off.

"You protected your famiglia. Good job," Reborn allowed.

Tsuna smiled and began to topple. There was a poof, and a tiny fox, unconscious but unharmed, dropped to the ground beside Gokudera.

~.~.~

**Chapter 36 The end and after**

It took weeks for the Vindice to leave Namimori, though Tsuna could only tell based on Reborn's mood, which brightened on the day the dark presence of the enforcers departed for good.

Hibari's foul mood persisted much longer, marked by more patrolling then ever and even less tolerance toward any disruption to the town's peace. By then, it was well into the new school year, and the cherry blossoms that had continued to make Hibari lightheaded and nauseous had all wilted away.

Needless to say, Hibari's entrance into Namimori High School was quite memorable. Strangely, he seemed to spend more time at the middle school than attending his own classes.

Waking up almost a week after his confrontation with Mukuro, Tsuna had belatedly provided an explanation to everyone — a rogue medium possessing people, and those pursuing him, he had said, leaving out the mafia connection. However, Yamamoto had met his gaze, unusually serious, and nodded subtly, showing he understood.

Hibari had stalked off as soon as Tsuna finished speaking, no doubt displeased at having to crowd. Kyoko and Ryohei had presented everyone with rare charms against possession a few days later.

For a while, that seemed to be the end of that.

Only one other thing of note had taken place, which passed by Tsuna in the midst of Reborn's brutal increased training regimen.

A new student had joined their class at the start of the year — a cute, shy girl with short dark hair in a strange style and an eye patch with a skull on it. Her name was Chrome Dokuro, and she had just been released from the hospital after a long convalescence. Her spirit still held a touch of death.

Despite that, Tsuna didn't pay her much attention, until she thanked him suddenly one day and kissed him on the cheek.

In his flustered embarrassment, Tsuna completely forgot to ask what she had been thanking him for.

Her answer would have been, "For bringing Mukuro-sama and me together."

But that's a story for another day.

~.~.~

**Notes**

And that's the end of arc 1! Arc 2 may or may not happen. So please review!

~.~.~


	11. Gloves

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassin group Varia challenging him for the right.

**Notes:** So begins the second arc. This one has less meandering and humor, being more plot-heavy. But it also has Varia, so I guess that's… nice?

~.~.~

**Chapter 37 To the victor**

Despite activating Dying Will Mode of his own volition when he faced Mukuro, Tsuna proved unable replicate that particular feat in the weeks to follow.

Reborn wasn't surprised or even slightly disappointed. It had been done in the grip of powerful emotion, after all, and those conditions couldn't be replicated so simply. But now that the threshold had been breached, each subsequent time would come easier and easier, until Tsuna could light his Flames at will.

The fact that his student had accomplished the first step so far ahead of schedule was enough to make Reborn feel almost… complacent.

Not that he didn't take the opportunity to increase Tsuna's training.

However, Reborn knew that a reward was also in order. Something nice, to mark Tsuna's advancement. (And, incidentally, the one year anniversary of Reborn's arrival.) For this reason, he called in a special favor from an old acquaintance. Like most of Reborn's acquaintances, he was… rather unique.

"An alien?" Tsuna guessed, staring at the round machine that had run him over and the chubby man inside.

Giannini laughed, his chin wobbling merrily. "Goodness, no! Well, in a way, I suppose. I'm not Japanese, after all," he said. Shaking away the distracting train of thought, he continued, "I'm Giannini, a weapons tuner in the employ of the Vongola famiglia. It's an honor to be working for the future Vongola Decimo!"

"I invited him here from Italy," Reborn explained. "You need a proper weapon now, and nothing but the best will do for a future boss."

Giannini laughed again. He seemed like the merry sort. "You flatter me, Signore Reborn! I still have a long way to go before I can come even close to the weapon maker my father was! Now, you mentioned that this will be Decimo's first weapon, so we'll be working from scratch. Can you tell me about his fighting style?…"

Normally, Reborn would have snorted and said that calling Tsuna's flailing a fighting style was too grand a compliment, but in front of Tsuna's potential future subordinate, he held back his disparaging remarks.

It was an odd experience for Tsuna, watching Reborn step around his — many, numerous — weaknesses and play up his strengths. Well, he didn't really have any strong points, but the way they talked about his capabilities at least made Tsuna sound not sound like a pathetic weakling.

Still…

"Don't I get a say in this?" Tsuna wondered.

Reborn and Giannini turned to look at him blankly. 'No,' Reborn was clearly itching to say, but instead he settled for, "Do you have something to add." There wasn't even a hint of questioning intonation.

Somehow, it annoyed Tsuna. It also worried him. Who knew what sort of ridiculous thing Reborn would come up with? Dino used a whip! What if Tsuna got stuck with something like… like forks or flutes, just because Reborn thought it'd be funny?

Chewing his lip, Tsuna thought back to his only truly serious battle thus far, with Mukuro. He remembered the feeling of Mukuro's three pronged weapon in his hand. He was surprised he hadn't ended up cutting himself when he crushed it, but that was probably because of its ceremonial nature. He remembered the feeling of Mukuro's — Gokudera's — wrists in his hands and the way Mukuro's aura had licked against his skin.

Tsuna looked down at his palms, soft and still uncalloused, despite Reborn's training.

"Gloves," he blurted out. "I need gloves."

The ensuing silence made him look up, nervous and embarrassed. Reborn was watching Tsuna with an unreadable expression. He knew it was just a coincidence. They hadn't gotten around to studying past Vongola bosses and their fighting styles.

However, Giannini's expression slowly morphed from shock to excitement. "Oh! What a grand choice!" he exclaimed, chuckling. "Decimo certainly doesn't hold back! But then he is your student, after all, Reborn."

Tsuna glanced at Reborn, who sighed a little and pulled down his fedora. "There has only been one Vongola boss to ever use gloves as his favored weapons," he explained, "and that was Vongola Primo. The founder of Vongola and your ancestor."

~.~.~

**Chapter 38 A worthy successor**

"Well? What do you think?" Giannini said excitedly. "I believe this my greatest work yet! A true masterpiece!"

"…They're gloves," Tsuna said, his tone completely blank, "I guess…"

"They're mittens," Reborn said, his tone even more blank, and also terribly flat. "Wooly mittens."

Giannini beamed.

"Do it over," Reborn said.

There was a moment of silence. "What? Why? My creation is no good?" Giannini wailed.

"Of course it's no good!" Reborn hissed, a gun suddenly in his hand. "Even if they're just his first weapons, the future Vongola boss needs something more dignified than that!"

He carefully did not think about Quatro and his favored tableware weapons. The man had been a well established mafioso by the time he took over Vongola, and known for his vicious, sadistic streak. A little eccentricity was easily overlooked when you had a reputation for turning the strongest men into mewling wrecks in under an hour. Not so much for a scrawny fourteen year old boy.

"When used with Flames, they will change shape—" Giannini tried to explain, only to be cut off by the muzzle of Reborn's gun pressing deeply into his forehead.

"Do it over," Reborn repeated.

While Reborn was busy overseeing Giannini's second attempt, gun still in hand, Tsuna had surreptitiously squirreled the mittens away. They looked warm, and though Reborn might disagree, being underestimated sounded just fine to him, even if it meant getting laughed at.

In short order — possible only with Reborn's special motivation tactics — Giannini presented his second attempt. While still emblazoned with Tsuna's lucky number per his request, these gloves were quite different — thick, almost workman-like, and burnt orange in color.

They were also pretty warm, Tsuna judged, after trying them on.

"…It'll do," Reborn conceded. He supposed there was no point in pushing any further, when Tsuna himself still looked like just a kid anyway. He nodded to himself. "Next, we're getting you fitted for a proper suit."

"What? What for?" Tsuna protested. "What's wrong with my uniform?"

"School uniforms are not, in fact, suitable for every conceivable occasion," Reborn told him, with a great deal of asperity. "There are plenty of times you'll need something more proper… and impressive."

"Like when?" Tsuna wondered blankly.

"Oh, for the upcoming Ring Battles, for one," Giannini said brightly. "I'll make sure to include extra Flame protection measures in the design, so it'll stylish and functional! And make it match your weapons, of course."

"The what?" Tsuna and Reborn said, in perfect sync.

However, their tones were vastly different. To Tsuna, it sounded like another troublesome, crazy scheme cooked up by Reborn. Except that Reborn clearly hadn't expected it either. Seeing his tutor honestly caught off guard for once made Tsuna's stomach churn uncomfortably.

For his part, Reborn sounded terrifyingly flat. He was, in Tsuna's estimation, downright furious.

Though he wasn't quite sure why, Giannini felt himself break out in cold sweat.

~.~.~

**Chapter 39 New challenge**

Reborn had grilled Giannini mercilessly before finally allowing the weapon tuner to escape, feeling as if something terrible had just barely passed him by. Most of Reborn's questions and the answers he received had gone over Tsuna's head, but those answers clearly did nothing to improve Reborn's mood.

"Reborn?" Tsuna finally ventured, after some time in oppressive silence. "What's this Ring Battle about?"

Sighing, Reborn pulled his fedora down lower and began to explain. "The Ring Battles are part of Vongola's inheritance traditions. When a Vongola boss nears the end of his reign, he passes the seven Vongola Rings to the CEDEF, the independent advisory branch to the famiglia. The CEDEF then appoints the successor and presents them with the rings."

Tsuna nodded slowly, mentally connecting what Reborn was saying with some of his earlier lessons, in particular regarding the rings themselves. And the CEDEF was, of course, the group led by his father.

"Well, usually the successor is clear or agreed upon ahead of time," Reborn said, waving his hand dismissively, "so it's all just for show. However, there is a particular clause in Vongola's laws that states the retiring boss has the right to appoint a representative to challenge the successor for the rings. That is referred to as the Ring Battles."

"And the Ninth chose someone to challenge me?" Tsuna said, his brow furrowing. He bit his lip, looking distressed — but not out of fear, as Reborn had expected. "But I thought… Reborn, didn't the Ninth hire you to train me? Does he not approve of me anymore?"

Reborn sighed. "Of course Nono still supports you," he assured Tsuna. "He's been nothing but pleased with your progress. It's nothing like that. This is… for something else."

Reborn sighed again. It was hard to explain these kinds of things to someone like Tsuna, who didn't think like a mafioso.

"Do you remember how Gokudera challenged you?" he asked instead. "He would only acknowledge you as Vongola X if you defeated him in battle. But when you did, he didn't have any more right right to complain. This is the same."

After almost a year together, Tsuna understood that Reborn had never wanted or expected Tsuna to lose that match. It had been just an elaborate set up to induct Gokudera into Tsuna's famiglia. Which, admittedly, didn't really sit all that well with Tsuna, but he knew Gokudera was just as aware of that fact, and neither of them was exactly unhappy with the outcome.

Like most of Reborn's schemes, it had worked out in the end.

"So this is… a way for everyone who disagrees with the Ninth's decision to make me his successor to… to have their chance at, um, discrediting me?" Tsuna reasoned out.

Reborn nodded, looking momentarily pleased, before turning serious once more. "Basically. And when you win, they'll have no choice but to accept you as the Vongola Decimo. But it won't be everyone, just the person they can rally behind most easily, and also the one with the biggest grudge."

He sighed for the third time.

"Xanxus," Reborn enunciated, the foreign name's hard syllables almost like a title in and of themselves. "Nono's adopted son. Only someone carrying the blood of Vongola can lead the famiglia, but that doesn't stop Xanxus from feeling bitter about being passed over for inheritance. He'll serve as the representative for all the malcontents…"

Reborn allowed himself to sigh once more.

Once the faction opposed to Tsuna's status lost its de facto leader, they would quiet down. However, it wouldn't be just because they would have no other convenient rallying point. The other reason would be that Xanxus was the strongest among them. If Tsuna could defeat him, no one else would stand a chance.

If. If Tsuna could defeat him.

This battle had always been in the cards, from the start. Reborn had guessed the necessity of it long before he even knew who would be appointed Nono's successor.

However, he hadn't expected it to come so soon. Too soon.

What was Nono thinking? Reborn couldn't even begin to fathom.

~.~.~


	12. CEDEF

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassins challenging him for the right.

~.~.~

**Chapter 40 Shoot the messenger**

When Iemitsu finally arrived in Namimori, Reborn was honestly tempted to just shoot him. Giannini had only heard rumors, but for even those to be floating around, CEDEF must have known for a good while.

And the idiot Iemitsu hadn't bothered to inform them.

Fortunately, Iemitsu at least had the decency, foresight or sense of responsibility to arrive in full leader of CEDEF attire, suit and all, which helped remind Reborn of the rather annoying consequences of just shooting him. It was still tempting.

Tsuna had stared. It was probably the first time he had ever seen his father clean-shaven.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Iemitsu began formally, "the CEDEF hereby acknowledges you as inheritor to the Blood of Vongola and of the Vongola famiglia. As proof of your claim, you are presented with the Vongola Rings, bearing the Will of our founders."

Iemitsu inclined his head in a shallow bow. Even that frankly token gesture of respect seemed to discomfit Tsuna, who stared at his father as if he had never seen the man before. In a way, Reborn supposed that was true.

It didn't bode well. Echoing his thoughts back when Iemitsu had visited last year, Reborn mused that it would be a fiasco having to replace the CEDEF leader.

However, either through intelligence Reborn didn't generally credit him with having or through the fable Vongola Hyper Intuition, Iemitsu seemed to be at least somewhat aware of the potential pitfalls of being his son's Outside Adviser, and he appeared to be already moving to at least ease the situation.

Though he had come in person to deliver the news, Iemitsu wasn't the one to holding the ornate box that contained the rings when they were not in the boss's possession.

Instead, he gestured to the boy who had remained deferentially two steps behind him — the CEDEF's rising star, Basilicum. Basil stepped forward and executed a bow so deep he was practically bent in two. He didn't raise his head as he held out the ring box to Tsuna.

Swallowing heavily, Tsuna reached for the box. His hands didn't shake, to Reborn's surprise. He really was resolute, in his own way.

Seemingly without conscious thought, Tsuna flipped the lid back and studied at the seven rings inside. Plucking out the center ring, he turned in over in his hand. It was warm, and Tsuna was certain that he saw it shift a little even as it lay in his palm. The ring that had been worn on an old man's calloused hand was now small enough to fit his thin middle finger.

It still felt far too heavy for such a small thing.

Looking up, Tsuna met Iemitsu's eyes and nodded curtly.

"Per the successor's acceptance of his position," Iemitsu continued, reaching into the inner pocket of his suit, "we have been tasked with delivering a message from Vongola IX, sealed with his Flame."

Only the slightest twitch in Tsuna's expression showed that he knew and dreaded what the message held. Strangely, Iemitsu seemed to ease minutely at that sign of awareness, only then relinquishing the letter. He had, it seemed, been prepared to warn Tsuna of the challenge within.

As Tsuna unfurled the folded parchment, a small orange flame flickered to life over the Vongola crest at the top.

The contents were just as Reborn and Tsuna had expected, a formal declaration and nomination of Xanxus as the Ninth's representative, to challenge the successor, Tsuna, to battle for the rings.

"Basil will be representing the CEDEF during the Ring Battles," Iemitsu said, when Tsuna looked up. He clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, as if, Reborn thought cynically, to keep him from running away — or collapsing in a dead faint.

Tsuna nodded, apparently unsurprised that his father would not stick around to witness him engage in life or death combat.

Reborn was far less accepting, and the look he shot Iemitsu promised a long, difficult conversation once the formalities were out of the way.

Dropping into another ridiculously deep bow, Basil said, "It's a great honor, Master Sawada! If there is anything at all the CEDEF can do, please do not hesitate to inform me. I am your humble servant."

His absurdly archaic speech patterns startled Tsuna out of his grim determination. Clutching the ring box to his chest, Tsuna hurried to reassure Basil that there was absolutely no need to call him Master or to bow that deep. Basil demurred even more adamantly than Gokudera, to Tsuna's frustration, but Reborn was glad. The exasperated, bemused expression on Tsuna's face suited him far more.

Perhaps replacing the CEDEF leader would not be as difficult as he had feared.

~.~.~

**Chapter 41 A hidden hand**

"I'm surprised you bothered to come in person," Reborn ruthlessly fired off the first shot. Initiative was important, in all battles.

Having left the boys to get better acquainted, he and Iemitsu sought out a more private location for a more adult talk. In other words, guilt trips and blame slinging.

Iemitsu smiled rather wryly. "I learned my lesson last time," he said, referring to the chewing out he had received for not being the one to inform Tsuna of their bloodline and situations.

"You're still late," Reborn said. "The entire Italian underworld is abuzz with talk of the Ring Battles, apparently."

"It's been less than two weeks since Nono suddenly decided this. That's the power of the mafia grapevine at work," Iemitsu said, groaning a little. He seemed uncomfortable and a little guilty. Point to Reborn. "We've been swamped with preparations. I really couldn't get away any sooner. We didn't have any warning at all."

"What did you say to him?" Reborn demanded, his long repressed frustration getting the better of him. "I told him in my reports that it's too early. Why did he suddenly decide to go through with it now?"

Iemitsu glared back with surprising venom. "I didn't say anything," he replied through gritted teeth. "I don't know why Nono did this."

And to the Outside Adviser, that was a bitter pill to swallow. It was also a very unsettling turn of events.

"…Is he ill?" Reborn asked, his earlier anger retreating, leaving a growing sense of unease. "Did his health take a downturn?" That was the likeliest reason he could imagine for Nono's abrupt decision.

Iemitsu shook his head, a pinched expression on his face. "Maybe. He has been a little strange of late. I just don't know," he repeated. "There was no warning. That's why I have to return to Italy, to find out what's behind this."

Seeing the logic in it, Reborn nodded, though somewhat reluctantly. Still, it wasn't as if Iemitsu could do much to help in Namimori.

"…Was it Xanxus?" Reborn suggested one last thing.

It was a long shot, in Reborn's opinion. But Iemitsu frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe," he said again. "He was acting odd the last few times he came to headquarters. And Nono started… avoiding him, I think. At the very least, he might know something."

Reborn nodded sharply. "Then I'll investigate from here," he said. "Hurry up and find out what's going on. There might still be time to call this off."

That was what he said. However, he didn't have much hope for such a possibility. The Varia's arrival was a grim certainty, and Reborn needed to find a way to help Tsuna survive it.

~.~.~

**Chapter 42 Through the generations**

Despite Tsuna's offer of a place at his house, Basil insisted on getting a hotel room.

"The CEDEF is an independent advisory body," he said. "We have our own headquarters, separate from the famiglia. That relationship must be maintained in the tenth generation as well."

Tsuna nodded slowly. He supposed the CEDEF would also foot the bill for Basil's stay, so it wasn't like he'd be sleeping out in the streets.

"Why does the CEDEF have so much power?" he asked instead. "I mean, choosing the successor like that. Shouldn't that be the boss's decision?"

Basil mostly managed to hide his look of surprise at the question, which quickly shifted to understanding. After all, Tsuna had only had a year of training so far. There were many things that Reborn hadn't had a chance to cover.

"There are historical reasons for that," Basil explained. "The CEDEF was founded by the first generation Cloud Guardian, Alaude. It was his policy to watch over the famiglia while maintaining his distance, to keep his judgement from becoming clouded. His area of expertise was intelligence and information gathering. In fact, he…"

Basil shook his head, realizing he was getting distracted. Watching him clear his throat awkwardly, Tsuna smiled a little. Despite his serious demeanor, Basil really was just a kid Tsuna's age.

"The CEDEF had no special power and simply provided advice and intel during the first generation," Basil continued. "However, things changed after Secondo took over. There were… certain irregularities regarding his succession."

Basil glanced at Tsuna, trying to gauge how much he knew of the situation. Being met either a blank stare, he sighed.

"To put it simply, Secondo wrenched control of Vongola from Primo in a coup," he summarized baldly. "While most of Primo's Guardians left in the aftermath, Alaude remained with Vongola. However, he agreed to cooperate with Secondo only if the CEDEF was allowed to control the succession process. Secondo agreed, and it was written into law, but he also added the clause regarding the representative, as a check on the CEDEF's power. And he later made sure the next CEDEF leader was loyal to him…"

Digesting the story, Tsuna nodded. "So Primo lost? I guess that's why he came to Japan," Tsuna mused, thinking back on the family tree Reborn had shown him. Was a person like that really the only reason Tsuna was eligible to become the next boss? It seemed like a very tenuous excuse.

Basil chewed his lip uncertainly. "Well… I heard he chose not to fight," he confided, leaning in as if sharing a secret. Maybe this was what Vongola members gossiped about, instead of which politician had gotten caught cheating on his wife with a high school girl. "Supposedly, one of his own Guardians betrayed him, siding with Secondo, so…"

They shared a sympathetic look.

Watching Basil disappear into the night, off in search of that hotel room, Tsuna sighed a little. "I really have a lot to learn about my family," he mused.

~.~.~


	13. Varia

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassins challenging him for the right.

~.~.~

**Chapter 43 In trust**

"Tsuna, you have to tell them," Reborn said firmly.

He was firmly ignored, as he had been every other time he had brought up the issue. But enough was enough, and they were quickly running out of time. Iemitsu had sent a short, tense message — the Varia were on their way.

"Tsuna," Reborn repeated, layering just a little killing intent behind his voice.

Tsuna flinched, but refused to look at Reborn. "I don't see why," Tsuna said, his voice falsely light and airy. "I'll fight the Ninth's representative, and that'll be that."

There were many things Reborn could say to that. There were intricacies to the Ring Battle bylaws that Tsuna was unaware of. There was something to be gained from drawing the battles out as long as possible, holding as many as possible.

But Reborn didn't mention any of that. Instead he said, "Is that the kind of boss you plan to be?"

Tsuna stilled, his brow furrowing.

"Is that how you plan to lead Vongola?" Reborn continued. "Do you understand what it means to be a boss? It's not being a lone crusader or a solitary hero. It's not even being the shield that protects the famiglia from all harm. In the famiglia, everyone has their place and their duty."

"But—" Finally, Tsuna had turned to look at Reborn, his expression as conflicted and miserable as the hitman had expected.

"If you don't trust them, then they have no business being part of your famiglia," Reborn said, over Tsuna's protests. "Yes, they'll want to fight with you. That's because you're their boss… and their friend. It's their right to make that decision."

Keeping Tsuna pinned under his gaze, Reborn waited for another protest, but the boy remained silent, even though his expression grew more and more miserable.

It was too soon, for all of them. None of them were ready, on any level.

He tried to make his tone as kind as he could. "You have to trust them. If you try to protect them like this now, then when will you finally let them stand beside you? A boss can't lead like that. You can't carry an entire famiglia by yourself, Dame-Tsuna."

Despite himself, Tsuna huffed at the reprimand and the nickname. A little of the misery lifted from his eyes and, glancing away, he nodded reluctantly.

"So give Gokudera and Yamamoto the Storm and Rain Rings," Reborn said. "They won't disappoint you." He used his promise tone — promise of sadistic torture disguised as training — and punctuated his words with the click of a pistol's hammer.

Just as Reborn had intended, Tsuna's lips twitched into the shadow of a smile at the familiar routine.

At least his student was a little more relaxed now. Reborn only wished he could believe his own reassurances.

~.~.~

**Chapter 44 The hunters I**

~.~.~

Tsuna woke abruptly, as Basil slammed open his bedroom window.

"Master Sawada, they have arrived," he said, foregoing his usual apologies and pleasantries.

The Varia were in Namimori.

Reborn, already up and in his customary suit, tossed a set of clothes at Tsuna, and soon they were leaving the house the same way Basil had come. Somehow that served to drive home how unnatural and irregular the situation was, when they couldn't even use the front door.

Tense and uneasy, Tsuna only spared a glance at the dark sky. He had much bigger problems than the dangers of being out at night in the summer.

"Don't worry about that. I doubt anything will be coming after you," Reborn advised him quietly. "There's something I haven't mentioned yet. It's about the Varia."

Tsuna wasn't surprised. He hadn't exactly been in any mood or state of mind to hear more about his opponents. If he had been given time to brood about his situation, he probably would have collapsed into a quivering wreck.

"The Varia is officially an independent branch of the Vongola famiglia, and they are generally regarded as an assassination squad. However, they have a certain specialty," Reborn said. "And that is opponents who are not human, both those with mixed blood and full blooded monsters."

"The Varia began as Vongola's demon hunting branch," Basil added. "Or rather, the original Varia was a demon hunting organization that joined Vongola."

"That means that, aside from Xanxus, none of them use Dying Will Flames, since they're not very effective against the supernatural," Reborn said, calmly analyzing the situation, as if his student wasn't about to go against an opponent that specialized in hunting his kind. "And since you don't have any special abilities on that side, their techniques won't any more effective against you than against an ordinary human."

Probably. Reborn had only ever had four targets of mixed blood himself, and three of them had been, if not the most difficult, then at least among the most frustrating, mostly due to his unfamiliarity with the supernatural. He didn't really know much about the methods the Varia employed in their special occupation.

"You mean they'll be no more effective than the average assassination," Tsuna muttered. He understood now why Reborn told him not to worry about being out after dark. Those that have sought battle with the ayakashi would attract far more attention that even a halfbreed like Tsuna.

"Yes," Reborn agreed blandly. "Aren't you glad to have the world's greatest hitman as your tutor? Compared to me, these guys are just small fry."

His egotistical, self-assured manner, even if it was just an act, made Tsuna sigh and relax just a little, even as the words reminded Reborn of the frustrating limitations of his position.

"…By the way, where are we going?" Tsuna asked, rather belatedly.

The answer was not an auspicious one.

"What do you mean they're at the school?!"

Yes, Tsuna decided, there was no need to worry about the Varia. Because Hibari would definitely kill him first.

~.~.~

**Chapter 45 The hunters II**

~.~.~

Gokudera and Yamamoto met them at the school gates, both looking surprisingly awake and ready, given that they had been pulled out of bed with even less ceremony than Tsuna.

Despite Tsuna's fears, Hibari was not present. Nonetheless, the school building seemed to emanate an aura that set Tsuna's hair on end. It wasn't just his imagination or a trick of the mind. The spiritual fabric of Namimori had been violently disturbed by the foreign hunters who carried the scent of death and blood, making the air feel charged and warped.

His two Guardians could doubtlessly feel it too, but Yamamoto still offered Tsuna an easy smile and Gokudera clapped him on the shoulder.

"Let's do this, Juudaime," he said. "We're ready."

Mustering his resolve, Tsuna nodded and stepped across the threshold.

To his surprise, Basil immediately took point. Raising his voice, he spoke to the apparently empty school grounds, "The nominated successor, Sawada Tsunayoshi, has arrived, per your challenge! Show yourselves, Varia!"

Something stirred in the night. The scent of blood swelled.

On the roof, seven figures appeared seemingly without warning. They had slipped by Tsuna's senses until the moment they chose to reveal themselves, showing the level of their ability. Only their murderous intent could not be hidden, but more than fear, Tsuna felt something strange and unfamiliar.

The knowledge that these were enemies, who had killed their kind before, filled Tsuna's mind. For himself, he was afraid. But for the two behind him — his pack, his famiglia, his family — Tsuna raised his head, clenching his fists, and bared his fangs.

Reborn was the only one to hear the low growl in his throat.

"Voi! You're the supposed successor and his Guardians?" one of the hunters sneered. His voice cut through the night air like a blade. "You're all just beasts!"

Another snickered, high pitched and grating. "Ushishi, then it'll be easy," he said. "Our favorite prey! Lucky!"

"Then let's take them out quickly, so they don't trouble Boss any further," the tallest figure rumbled.

"They've got the Storm and Rain Rings, so it's on Squalo and Bel," the smallest hunter said, perched on the shoulder of a silent mass. "I'm still charging for this though."

Exchanging a quick glance and nod with Reborn, Basil spoke up, "Please wait. As the situation currently stands, you would gain automatic victory, due to four default forfeits on Master Sawada's part."

Tsuna shot him a surprised look. It seemed almost absurdly simple — Tsuna only had the two Guardians, and between them, they would at best have three rings, out of seven. And if there was no way to fight more than once, then it really would be an automatic loss.

He knew that Basil and Reborn had been furiously debating a possible course of action that seemed to involve loopholes of some sort, but this did not seem like the sort of solution Reborn would agree to.

Well, Tsuna would be alright with it, but…

For the first time, the figure in the middle — the leader, Tsuna knew instinctively — spoke. "Then I'll kill that scum myself, and end this farce," the man, Xanxus, said. The sudden wash of killing intent made Tsuna tremble, as Gokudera and Yamamoto reached for their weapons.

"The Storm and Rain Rings have already been bequeathed to Master Sawada's Guardians," Basil said quickly, shifting to the side a little as if to stand between Tsuna and Xanxus. "The full seven matches must be held."

Which brought them back to the fact that Tsuna would lose four of those seven matches by default. It was an oversight in the laws, that the Sky Ring could change hands without the successor or the representative ever participating in battle.

Xanxus didn't just want to disqualify Tsuna, he wanted to fight, and his frustration was almost palpable.

"That is why we have a proposal to you," Basil continued. "Your challenge came very suddenly. We were caught unprepared, and now we request a postponement. Give us time to gather other Guardians, and we will give you a true Ring Battle."

"Oh?" Xanxus drew out. "And just how long do you think that'll take?"

"One year."

Xanxus snorted, not even dignifying such a ridiculous request with an answer. "Ten days," he presented his counter offer.

"Six months."

"You've got one," Xanxus declared with an air of finality. "In one month, we're coming for the rings… and your lives."

He turned away, his men following him, and again, between one moment and the next, they slipped out of sight.

~.~.~

**Chapter 46 The hunters III**

~.~.~

The moment Xanxus's oppressive aura was no longer bearing down on him, Tsuna swayed and collapsed, his legs unable to hold him up.

"Juudaime!"

"Tsuna!"

His friends rushed to his side, and Basil tried to follow, only to find his own legs giving out as well. Even in his time in the CEDEF, he hadn't faced such pressure. And he had been judged barely worth Xanxus's notice…

"Hiieeeee," Tsuna wailed gracelessly, his tail wagging nervously behind him until he grabbed it tightly in both hands. "I'm gonna die! He's, he's gonna kill me! He's gonna cut off my tail and wear it like an ornament!"

"No, he's not," Reborn told him, trying to keep his tone even as he raised his voice over Tsuna's sobs. "I don't know where you got such a ridiculous idea, Dame-Tsuna."

"Tell that to the poor tanuki whose tail he's wearing in his hair now!" Tsuna shot back, too worked up to be polite or properly cowed.

Reborn opened his mouth to retort, only to pause as he thought back on Xanxus's appearance. "That's a raccoon," he said instead, "a normal one. Probably."

Tsuna turned a wet, offended look on him, as if he couldn't believe that Reborn would doubt his ability to distinguish between one kind of striped fuzzy tail and another, and between a normal animal and a supernatural one.

Refusing to bow down to his ridiculous hysteria, Reborn stared back stonily.

Meanwhile, Gokudera seemed to be frothing at the mouth at the idea of his boss's tail being used as a trophy, and Basil was staring at said tail in mute wonder. His fingers twitched a little, itching to stroke the soft looking fur.

Yamamoto alone remained entirely unconcerned. "That's not gonna happen," he assured Tsuna easily, clapping him on the shoulder. "Cause you're gonna show him who's boss. Right, Tsuna?"

His expression was odd, and a little unsettling, as he ran a hand over his sheathed sword.

"He might be a hunter, but ayakashi are never prey," Yamamoto said, looking at Tsuna with a strange smile. "Those who hunts and those who are hunted… It can get turned about in a single moment."

Something flickered in Tsuna's golden eyes, and Reborn had to wonder which half of his blood was stirred by those words.

~.~.~


	14. Schemes

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassins challenging him for the right.

~.~.~

**Chapter 47 The third one**

Tsuna had slept like the dead that night, emotionally exhausted. Nonetheless, Reborn was merciless as ever about kicking him out of bed the next morning, which was naturally a school day.

He was stumbling past the gates and tripping into home room, with only seconds to spare, by the time he remembered what had taken place the night before, at the same building. He only had time to notice Kyoko's uneasy gaze before the teacher walked in, and then it was stand, bow, sit and end of term exams that Tsuna wouldn't have been ready for on a good day.

By lunch, rumors were flying — something had Hibari absolutely furious. He had completely ditched school to stalk around Namimori Middle. Nami-chuu students, well versed in Hibari's special ways, had tried checking all over campus for graffiti or any other sign of someone infringing on his territory, but they hadn't been able to find anything.

Of course not. They were only checking with their five senses. Tsuna could feel what had Hibari so on edge — the unmistakable "scent" of blood and the disturbed patterns of energy that spoke of a foreign intrusion, like a very large stone dropped into a pond, one that had already begun to release its poison taint into the waters.

"So do you have any idea what that last question on the history test was about?" Yamamoto asked as they settled on the roof with their lunches. He looked rather unconcerned, but then he was always good at that. The way he kept his sword within reach, even while eating, gave him away.

"No," Tsuna half moaned, putting a wealth of feeling into that single word.

"You baseball idiot! Of course Juudaime doesn't have to worry about something so insignificant!" Gokudera yelled, instantly on the defensive regarding his boss. "…Even if it is the end of term exam…"

"That's right," Reborn agreed, to everyone's surprise. He was usually the first to insist that schoolwork was still important. "I'll make sure to drill everything you miss into your skulls later. For now, you're going to do nothing but train, in the most spartan way possible. We're going to make this month count. Hmm, it's probably for the best that this falls on summer vacation, otherwise you'd be skipping classes…"

"Yes, Reborn-san!" Gokudera sounded off, snapping to attention. Without conscious thought, he reached up to grasp at the ring hanging from a chain around his neck. He wouldn't disgrace his boss, he swore to himself, no matter who or what his opponent might be.

Chewing thoughtfully on the ends of his chopsticks, Tsuna pointed out, "But there's still only three of us. What are we going to do?"

Reborn smirked, his cute chubby lips curling in a very unsettling expression. "Don't worry about that," he said. "In this case, the enemy of our enemy is our friend, and the Varia are very good at making enemies. They've already made someone very angry with their presence."

When he finally understood what Reborn was hinting at, Tsuna almost dropped his chopsticks. "Hibari?" he hissed. "You're going to make Hibari fight?"

"We're not going to make him," Reborn said piously. "We will simply provide him with the opportunity to do so. He'll want to fight, there's no doubt of that. If he isn't furious enough with the Varia yet, he will be by the end of the month."

Though he wasn't sure he liked the grim certainty in Reborn's tone, Tsuna had to agree with him. "But I don't think Hibari will want to train with us," Tsuna said instead, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Given what I've seen of him, he doesn't need to," Reborn judged. "It's amazing, actually. His combat ability is very impressive, especially if he's never even left this town. The only opponents I wouldn't be certain he could defeat are Squalo and Xanxus, and he won't be fighting either of them."

Tsuna started to nod, relieved, when he realized that meant he would need to surpass someone above even Hibari's level — and so would Yamamoto.

Reborn continued, unconcerned, "With him on board, we'll just need to make sure we win every match, and since the Varia always fight until their opponent is dead, we'd be aiming for that anyway."

There was a certain kind of logic to his reasoning, but somehow it didn't seem quite right…

"Sounds good," Yamamoto said with a grin. "I'm gonna tell Dad to hold nothing back on me!"

"I'll give it everything I've got! No, more than that!" Gokudera agreed earnestly.

Tsuna sighed. He just hoped it would be enough.

~.~.~

**Chapter 48 The third two**

When Chrome Dokuro approached Sawada Tsunayoshi at the end of the last day of school and, fidgeting in embarrassment, asked to speak with him privately, the entire class 2-A had stared in shock and not a little disbelief. There was only one thing this could be, in their minds.

A love confession!

To Sawada? To Dame-Tsuna, the school loser?

Unbelievable. Inconceivable.

Clearly, this called for everyone to follow them and spy on the happy future (?) couple.

However, Gokudera quickly put an end to that notion. Even as he muttered complaints about Chrome's sheer nerve and unsuitability as his boss's woman, he refused to let anyone interrupt Tsuna's private business. Yamamoto, understanding a little better that a confession would make any boy's heart flutter, even unrequited, joined him in dissuading their classmates from their curiosity.

Normally, Tsuna's thoughts would have followed the same path as the other students', leaving him blushing and stuttering, but this had not been a normal day or a normal week, and Tsuna's mind was running along entirely different tracks.

So his first thought was that Chrome had sensed the supernatural disturbance in town and wanted to ask him about it.

"So what did you want to talk about, Chrome?" Tsuna asked, once they were alone behind the school. He smiled kindly at her. "You can ask me anything, really. I promise I'll hear you out."

After all, approaching the subject of the hidden world could be very difficult the first time.

"Kufufufu," Chrome chuckled, except that it wasn't Chrome after all, "that's very kind of you, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Thank you for taking such good care of my Chrome, and for your helpful advice back then. It's been working quite well for me."

"…Rokudo Mukuro," Tsuna realized, almost immediately. Their encounter was still quite vivid in his mind. If anything, he should have noticed it sooner, but Mukuro had truly been making an effort to hide his presence. "What do you want?"

Chrome — Mukuro — smiled. "I want many things," he said. "From you? The same as before." His smile widened as he watched Tsuna tense. "I want the protection granted by Vongola. Relax, I have no intention of taking over your body anymore. Instead, I want a ring — the Mist Ring, to be precise."

Tsuna frowned, trying to make sense of what Mukuro was saying. "You want to become a Guardian?"

Mukuro's eyes narrowed, his smile taking on a sharp edge. It looked especially disturbing on Chrome's sweet, gentle face. "Just the idea of being part of the mafia makes me sick," he said, "but Vongola's Guardians hold great power, second only to the boss himself. Enough to even negotiate a pardon from the Vindice in some cases."

Of course. Hadn't Mukuro said that he would do anything to survive?

But Tsuna's brow furrowed in something that looked entirely too much like concern. "If I give you the ring, you'll be targeted by the Varia," he said. "If you want to remain hidden, you can't use your full power, and against them… you'll get hurt. Chrome will get hurt."

"Chrome has agreed to this," Mukuro said, his expression tightening. "And you don't need to concern yourself. I won't lose. Even if I were to do so… I know there's no one in this town who comes even close to being worthy of the position. So you lose nothing by giving me a chance to fight. And if I win, then that's one less friend you'll have to risk."

For several long moments, Tsuna was silent, his thoughts racing as he considered Mukuro's offer.

There were many things Mukuro wasn't saying, of course. Once he had the ring, tangible proof of his position as Mist Guardian, it would be quite difficult to take it back, especially since his participation in the Ring Battle would be tantamount to a formal declaration of his acceptance.

There was still a chance that Tsuna could turn on him afterwards, try to banish him, but it would be a risky move, which would make Vongola's tenth generation look weak.

No, Tsuna would be stuck with Mukuro as a Guardian for a good while. And while a Guardian was less important than the boss, letting one of them be dragged off by the Vindice wouldn't look good either…

The question was, did Tsuna want to let someone like that into his famiglia? He knew from Reborn's briefing that Mukuro was strong. His own victory was little more than a circumstantial fluke. While Mukuro couldn't afford to actually turn on Tsuna, he wouldn't hold any real loyalty toward him. Not exactly Guardian material.

And what about Chrome? Given her aura, it was unlikely Mukuro was possessing her against her will, but did she really understand what he was getting them into? If they lost, it would be a Chrome who paid the price, not just Mukuro.

"Sawada-san," came a tentative voice — and suddenly it was Chrome speaking to Tsuna again, instead of Mukuro. "Please give us this chance. You don't have to worry about us. We're just using you, after all."

"That doesn't mean I want you to get hurt," Tsuna objected. But in the next moment, he sighed. Looking at her earnest expression, remembering Mukuro's desperation, he couldn't just deny them either. It was probably their only hope of improving their situation.

Finally, tentatively, he nodded.

Reborn would have his head for this, but it looked like he had a Mist Guardian.

~.~.~

**Chapter 49 Hot blood, cold blood**

Reborn, accompanied by Basil, had dragged Tsuna away for training almost immediately after his talk with Mukuro. In fact, Tsuna had barely had time to slip Chrome the Mist Ring before his tutor barged in on them. Reborn's eyes had narrowed, but to Tsuna's relief, he had only made some disparaging remark about flirting and proceeded to herd Tsuna away with the liberal use of his pistol.

Reborn and Basil had, in fact, been finalizing certain arrangements with Shamal. After several well placed threats, he had agreed to train Gokudera for the duration of the month. Also, Reborn had wanted to check a few things with him regarding Tsuna's condition.

The truth was, Reborn hadn't been certain about the wisdom of applying his preferred training tactics to Tsuna. Given their time limit, shooting Tsuna repeatedly with Dying Will bullets would have been the most expedient method… But considering Tsuna's youkai blood and his irregular reactions to using his Dying Will Flames, even Reborn couldn't be sure of the outcome.

At best, the time Tsuna spent in his other form would increase after every bullet, necessitating a slower approach… At worst, Tsuna's Flames could become unbalanced, the way they had a year before, but this time he wouldn't get off with just a fever.

It was Basil who presented a compromise. The pills he himself used were less potent than the bullets, but they were intended for situations much like Tsuna's — when the user couldn't enter Dying Will Mode of their own will, but had the experience and skill to turn what would have otherwise been a shorter, weaker transformation into the true, full Dying Will Mode, clothes and all.

When Reborn thought about it, controlling his Flames was the natural next step for Tsuna. With luck, it would allow him to even rein in and stabilize his internal energy enough not to suffer from the same illness again.

"Oh, I see," Tsuna said, nodding along as Reborn and Basil explained this to him. "I always got sick because my Flames got too strong when my other blood got too weak. So if I can control my Flames, that won't be a problem anymore."

While he'd had the chance, Reborn had pressed Iemitsu for details about Tsuna's childhood and any idiosyncrasies involving his son. It had taken almost the full extent of his self control to get through Iemitsu's flailing and cooing, but the results had been enlightening.

If Tsuna was like this with his Flames sealed by Nono, what would he be like once the seal fully dissolved? What would he have been like, going through life with the full power of his birthright? ….Would he have survived this long? Or would his power, immature and uncontrolled, have burned him from the inside out?

In any case, Tsuna certainly had potential. The issue was bringing it out.

Reborn decided it would be better not to mention the other option he had considered. Some might have called it barbaric, but it was a tried and true method.

Throwing Tsuna off a cliff, that is.

He was almost certain that Tsuna would have awakened his Flames in desperation, in time to save himself from an unfortunate end. However, Basil had looked horrified when Reborn suggested it, mostly joking, really, and when the idiot Iemitsu's student thinks you're suggesting something insane, it's time to reconsider.

Blissfully unaware of the terrible fate he had just barely escaped, Tsuna thoughtfully placed a hand on his chest. "Come to think of it, I've been feeling pretty good lately," he muttered to himself, "even on summer solstice…" It was a relief, from a worry he hadn't even realized he'd been under. Tsuna smiled. "Then I won't hold back. I'll train with my Dying Will."

~.~.~


	15. Cloud

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassins challenging him for the right.

~.~.~

**Chapter 50 Lone protector I**

Reborn's prediction regarding Hibari and the Varia was more accurate than even he realized.

The Varia's very presence disturbed the peace in Namimori. The scent of blood that clung to them as a result of their kills — neither a scent, nor of blood as such, but the closest analogy possible within the five senses — set the already agitated ayakashi even more on edge.

Hibari had been running patrols almost non-stop in an effort to keep control of the rising number of incidents. They had all been minor so far, but he knew it wouldn't be long before things escalated.

No matter how much it stung his pride, he would need to ask his clan for help — and soon, before someone disappeared, or turned up drowned on dry land, or was found hanging from the power lines, body twisted gruesomely. Malevolence bred malevolence, until even peaceful ayakashi began to hunt even uninvolved civilians. He wouldn't allow that to happen to his town.

But Hibari couldn't leave either and to go visit his clan in the mountains. All he had been able to do was send a message and keep patrolling.

It had looked like another busy, tense night, until the scent of blood suddenly grew stronger. Hibari had never really dealt with hunters before, but some deep instinct realized what it meant.

They had begun to hunt again.

In his town! Against those in his protection! Hibari knew, _knew_ that none of the ayakashi had yet to hurt anyone. So why? Just to satisfy their own bloodlust?

The hunter was easy to find, and Hibari didn't hesitate for a moment as he brought his tonfas down across the intruder's back.

However, the Varia were considered the best for a reason, and Belphegor managed to twist away from Hibari's surprise attack. The karakasa he had been toying with rustled in fear and thanks before scrambling away.

"You dare attack the prince, you peasant-" Belphegor began, only to be cut off by another vicious attack.

"You dare, in my town!" Hibari hissed back. "I'll bite you to death!"

"Bite?" Belphegor drew out, knives already glinting in his hands. His grin was wide and malicious. "You really just a beast. But that's okay. I'll put you down for good…"

"Beasts?" Hibari repeated. He struck out again, another glancing blow that made Belphegor wince. "You know nothing! You foreigners call ayakashi demons and look down on us, but you don't even understand our true nature! You don't know anything about this world!"

His clan had watched over this sacred land long before humans came. And just as long, ayakashi had gathered there, in the place that would become Namimori. This was a well, a cradle — where spirits and the energy of the world itself were drawn.

That was the true nature of ayakashi — those born of the world's own pulse, manifestations of the planet's power and life force.

"The prince doesn't care if your a beast or a peasant," Belphegor sneered. "I'll kill you all the same!"

His words drove Hibari into pure rage, and he struck out again, unfurling his wings suddenly to propel himself forward. Taken off guard, Belphegor couldn't dodge in time, one tonfa nicking him across the face. A few drops splattered across the cooling pavement. Slowly, Belphegor reached up to touch his split lip. His finger tips came away crimson, and a strange, wild smile began to spread across his face.

"I'm bleeding… My royal blood…" he muttered, before throwing his head back and letting out a sound that was both laughter and a howl.

Two beasts met in battle.

~.~.~

**Chapter 51 Lone protector II**

Just the killing intent spilling out from Hibari and Belphegor's battle was enough to draw the attention of everyone in the vicinity. The scent of blood was so thick it almost made Tsuna's stomach turn.

Tired as he was after a full day of training under Reborn and Basil, Tsuna didn't hesitate to take off running, letting his other senses guide him. Although he hissed something angrily under his breath, Reborn did not stop him, and Basil followed after only a moment's hesitation.

They were not the first to arrive. Lussuria, coming to help Belphegor, had already taken a beating and a moment later joined Belphegor on the ground in a bloody, bruised heap.

However, they had not gone down easily, and the injuries they had managed to inflict on him made Hibari a fraction of a second too slow to dodge the hail of bullets that suddenly cut through the air.

"You've got some nerve, attacking the Varia," Mammon said, his tiny figure perched in the Gola Mosca's hand, while the fingers of the other smoked faintly. He made no move to attack himself, judging it a service he hadn't been paid for, and only looked down at Hibari with disdain.

Hibari tried to unfurl his wings and take to the air, but a bullet tore through one wing, scattering blood and black feathers. The Gola Mosca fired again, this time perfectly on target.

Orange Sky Flames flared between the robot and Hibari, swallowing the bullets completely. As the fire parted, Tsuna stood in its place, glaring up at the Varia members.

"Move," Hibari ordered, levering himself to his feet.

Tsuna shot him a look over his shoulder — not a glare, and not quite cold, but firm enough to make even Hibari pause. His eyes glowed with the same fire that danced on his forehead and around his fists.

"Combat between participants of the Ring Battles is prohibited outside of the sanctioned matches," Tsuna said evenly. Turning back to the Varia, he continued, "I apologize for my Guardian's actions. If your members have not recovered by the end of the month, I will be willing to take the necessary handicaps."

He could feel Hibari glaring holes in his back, but the prefect didn't attack, and that was the best Tsuna could have hoped for. Claiming Hibari as a Guardian without his consent was dangerous, but it was the only thing Tsuna could think of to keep things from escalating further.

As a participant, Hibari would be bound but also protected by the rules of the Ring Battles. As a bystander, he would be open to any retaliation the Varia chose to deal out, and the only way Tsuna would be able to help him would be to fight — which would in turn put him in violation of the rules.

Fortunately, the way he had phrased things made the Varia unwilling to press the issue, reminding them of the fact that two of their members had been taken out by one of Tsuna's. Admitting that Hibari had hurt them badly would wound their pride even further.

"Everyone is feeling fired up. We should all be careful how we let off steam," Reborn spoke up, having arrived just after Tsuna, Basil tensely hanging back as well. Not so much his words but the heavy dose of killing intent he emitted made Mammon click his tongue and draw back.

"I'm not getting paid got this anyway," Mammon muttered, jerking his head in a sign for them to get going.

Tsuna backed away slowly, keeping his eyes on the hunters until the distance between grew too large. Then, he broke into a fast jog, leading the way to the Sawada house.

Radiating displeasure, Hibari nonetheless followed, a faint limp in his step.

~.~.~

**Chapter 52 Lone protector III**

Hibari listened to their explanation silently, with the patience of a predator lying in wait. The only thing that gave away his agitation was the absolutely lethal look in his eyes.

"If you don't want to fight, you don't have to," Tsuna concluded. "I'll just…"

He didn't dare finish, under the glare Hibari shot him. The prefect would be fighting, without a doubt. Delicately, Tsuna held out the Cloud Ring, which Hibari accepted without the slightest change in his expression.

"You said there are still three weeks left," Hibari noted, considering the matter of his Guardianship closed. "How are you going to stop those foreign pretend carnivores from disturbing the peace in Namimori? If this goes on…"

He didn't need to finish. Understanding his meaning, Tsuna shivered.

"I hate to say this, but the Varia are pretty capable when it comes to their work," Reborn spoke up. He ignored Hibari's dark look. "Their methods might be crude, but they won't let things escalate… past a certain point anyway."

"The Varia will protect the citizens," Basil added. Unlike Reborn, he openly cowered away from Hibari when the prefect growled low in his throat.

Tsuna frowned as well. "They might not let civilians get hurt, but they're hurting the ayakashi," he said. "Hunters… They're the worst. Why don't they just pacify the spirits? Why do they have to kill them? Even the ones that haven't hurt anyone! It's because of their malevolent presence that things are getting to tense!"

He looked away, swallowing heavily. Tsuna looked and generally acted like a normal teenage boy. It was hard to remember that one of the demons the Varia wanted to hunt down was his mother, the woman cheerfully humming downstairs as she prepared dinner.

"…Why do they hate us?" he whispered.

"Because they're human," Hibari said curtly. The hurt look Tsuna shot him made the prefect squirm, just a little.

"That can't be it," Tsuna said. "Our fathers, they don't feel the same at all. Or Yamamoto's dad. Or Kyoko and her brother. Or Reborn! It can't be just that…"

"They don't hate you," Reborn said, sighing. "Not any more than everything else. The Varia also work as an assassination squad. To them, human or demon doesn't matter. And Xanxus… it's not you he hates, not really."

Tsuna's brow furrowed, his gaze oddly piercing, but Reborn didn't elaborate.

Instead, he tilted his fedora down and said, "I'll try talking to Xanxus, for all the good it'll probably do. At this point, there's not much we can do except bite our tongues and bear it."

Needless to say, that didn't sit well with Hibari. That was probably why, the next day, he departed for his clan's ancestral home, to ask for their assistance in calming the spirits, to train, and to get away from the enemy that he was certain to attack on sight.

~.~.~


	16. Lightning, Sun

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassins challenging him for the right.

~.~.~

**Chapter 53 See no evil**

The Varia preferred to nest in ancient castles. It was tradition, and the long term members just didn't feel comfortable if there wasn't a dungeon beneath their feet. Unfortunately, while castles and massive mansion were at least somewhat common in Italy, they were not a feature of the Namimori landscape. So the Varia had been forced to settle for a sky scraper downtown.

Looking out the transparent walls of the elevator and shaft as it slowly rose toward the penthouse, Reborn only wondered vaguely if they had bought it, extorted it out, or were just squatting. Any of the three was a possibility.

Xanxus couldn't be bothered to come to a meeting, so Reborn had been forced to come to him. Venturing into enemy territory didn't bother him, precisely, but it was still annoying. It was probably for the best that he had decided to come alone, without even Basil.

The elevator pinged, and Reborn made his way out into the surprisingly immaculate hall beyond.

As was his habit, Xanxus was sprawled over an ornate chair, like a king on a throne. He was also drinking, as was his other habit. He didn't even bother glancing at Reborn as the hitman entered the "audience chamber."

"Letting your men run wild is a disgrace to you is a boss," Reborn said flatly, without preamble. "Are you taking your duties as Varia seriously at all?"

Or are you too busy indulging in a childish temper tantrum? He bit back that comment. He didn't want to antagonize Xanxus that much, that early.

"Watch your mouth, trash," Xanxus sneered, reckless or suicidal enough to use that sort of language even against Reborn. Only Nono's deep love for his adopted son stopped the hitman from putting a new hole through the upstart. "Even if the old man trusts you, you're still an outsider. What do you think I'm here for? It's all for Vongola, to make sure that brat doesn't lead us into ruin!"

"I think you're here to satisfy your own grudge and frustration," Reborn said sharply. "Is this what Nono wants? Do you really believe that?"

The faintest twitch was all the indication Xanxus gave that Reborn's words affected him. "It was the old man's order," he said, his tone almost defensive.

"But it's not what he wants. It's not like him," Reborn pressed. Now he was certain that Xanxus knew something.

But just as quickly as he caught a glimpse of that knowledge, the door slammed shut again.

"As if I'd know!" Xanxus snarled, his anger suddenly mounting. "Not like he'd tell me what he's thinking! After all, I'm just—!"

He cut himself off, snarling.

Reborn frowned, the degree of sympathy he felt surprising even him. Since when did he bother considering the other side's situation, beyond the best way to use it to his advantage? But here he was, feeling the faintest twinge of… sadness, for Xanxus, and for Nono, for the painful miscommunication they found themselves trapped in.

"He trusts you to decide Vongola's future," Reborn said. In the next moment, he realized it had been the wrong thing to say, as Xanxus began to laugh deeply and without humor.

That wasn't what this was. This wasn't about any choice Xanxus made. And…

A whiskey glass flew in Reborn's direction, but the hitman didn't even flinch. Xanxus knew better that to throw something directly at him, unless he wanted it return with twice the force. Instead, the glass sailed over Reborn's head, shattering against the wall behind him.

Still, it got his point across. Knowing there would be no more reasoning with Xanxus, Reborn made his way out of the room, and out of the Varia's lair.

Alone, Xanxus stared bitterly out the panorama windows across the peaceful town.

"…But not to lead it," he muttered to himself. "For that, he trusts even some brat over me. Some little halfbreed trash…"

The empty bottle joined the glass in pieces on the floor.

~.~.~

**Chapter 54 No warning**

Levi had only heard about the beating Belphegor and Lussuria took afterwards, and only in passing, since Mammon refused to reveal details unless he was paid. Still, what he did know was enough to infuriate Levi.

How could those two lose against some backwater demon blood scum? And to a lackey of their enemy at that! It was a disgrace to their boss. They were lucky not to lose their heads. Failure was not tolerated in the Varia.

But if the boss chose not to punish them further, then Levi would abide by his decision. He would also obey their boss's strange, uncharacteristic command to keep their hunting to high level threats only and to not engage the lower level demons that proliferated in the town.

That left only one outlet for his anger — their enemy. However, Tsuna, Gokudera and Yamamoto were all deeply absorbed by their training, almost perpetually absent to their preferred training grounds, and Hibari had left the town entirely to meet up with his clan.

No matter how many times Levi circled through Namimori and the outskirts, he could find no sign of the impostor Decimo or his fake Guardians, and with every circuit, Levi's anger mounted.

Were they hiding? Had they run? How dare they mock the boss like this!

It was a recipe for disaster, and it all finally came to a head in the worst way possible.

Despite Bianchi's dire warnings and threats, Lambo had reached the limit of his tolerance for being kept indoors. Even play fighting with Ipin and Mamma's delicious food were no longer enough to keep him calm. Why did Dame-Tsuna and Aho-dera get to go out while he was stuck inside? It wasn't fair!

So, snickering to himself, Lambo made his escape through the window, while everyone else was occupied and believed he was sulking in his and Bianchi's room.

At first it was fun, being able to run around freely, without anyone to tell him what to do. But before long, Lambo found himself missing the others. It just wasn't the same without Ipin to chase and get chased by, without Fuuta to hang off of, without Mamma to smile at him, without Bianchi's familiar, constant presence.

They'd probably be mad at him for sneaking off, Lambo realized glumly as the euphoria of his escape wore off.

But he had idea. He'd bring them a present, so they'd have to forgive him!

Lambo had used up the last of his allowance on an ice cream cone, so he couldn't buy them anything. He wandered around, trying to think of something. Then, as he was passing by a large flower bed in the park, he finally knew what to do.

He'd give them flowers. Mamma and Bianchi would love them, and Fuuta liked anything new that he could rank. Lambo wasn't sure about Ipin, but she'd probably be happy too.

He was extra careful as he picked the flowers, wanting them to look nice. So it felt especially unfair as, halfway home, he tripped on a crack in the pavement and fell right onto his bouquet.

When Lambo levered himself up, biting his lip and sniffling back tears of pain, he realized that the flowers he had so carefully picked out were now a squashed, ugly mess.

It was too much. He couldn't hold it in.

Right in the middle of the street, Lambo burst into loud, wailing sobs that turned into the lower, lowing calls of a massive bull. Tossing its head, it stomped its hoof and prepared to charge, all the way home.

And that was how Levi found him.

~.~.~

**Chapter 55 Blood sport**

Lambo's bull form was an intimidating and even terrifying sight to ordinary people. From a physical standpoint, it was certainly impressive — its strength and stamina were beyond any human or animal. Even in Dying Will Mode, Tsuna had always relied on tricking its muddled, simple thinking, instead of on brute strength.

As an officer of the Varia, Levi saw himself as above simple tricks. However, he didn't need them. He was an elite hunter for a reason.

His Parabolas circled overhead. Lightning sparked between them and, before bull-Lambo could even begin his charge, crashed down in a circle around him. Lowing in distress, Lambo reared back. He stamped in a scared circle, his massive head swinging from side to side as he tried to find some way out of the tightening circle.

The lightning flickered out, but Lambo didn't have time to even attempt an escape. Levi crashed down on his back, Parabola in hand. He couldn't be shaken off, roughly grabbing hold of one horn.

Drawing his weapon back, Levi plunged it deep into the bull's shoulder. Lambo moaned in distress, and with a faint smirk, Levi sent a surge of electricity through the Parabola and into the bull's body.

It was a testament to the strength of Lambo's other form that even such an attack wasn't enough to put him out. The bull bucked wildly, but Levi held on. Twisting the Parabola deeper in, he electrocute his opponent again.

Finally, the bull began to tire. It swayed and began to topple. Before it could hit the ground, its bulk vanished, leaving only Lambo's tiny human form to fall among the damaged chunks of pavement.

Sneering, Levi looked down at his prey and raised his weapon.

A fist plowed deep into the side of his face, and Levi was sent flying.

Growling in fury, he quickly regained his feet and faced his assailant — a teenager, one bandaged fist still held out from his straight punch.

"What do you're—"

"What are you doing?" the teenager cut him off, his voice strong and hard. "Attacking a kid who's already down isn't extreme at all!"

"Just who do you think you are to question me, you scum?!" Levi roared.

"Sasagawa Ryohei, Namimori Middle School third year student," the boy answered promptly. "Captain of the boxing club."

A civilian, and a human one, Levi judged. Even the Varia did not attack people so uninvolved lightly.

"Don't interfere with my hunt if you want to live," Levi ordered him.

Ryohei's eyes narrowed. "This is hunting?" he asked, something judging in his tone. "It looks extremely like bullying to me."

Levi sneered. He didn't care about the opinions of a civilian, and his hunting mood had been ruined. Turning away, he threw over his shoulder, "You don't know what sort of monster you're dealing with."

He was gone before he could hear Ryohei's answer.

"I'm starting to see," Ryohei commented coldly, his eyes fixed on the place Levi had stood.

He wasn't talking about Lambo.

~.~.~

**Chapter 56 Those who see**

Ryohei was uncharacteristically serious as he brought the injured Lambo back to the Sawada house. At first, more concerned for Lambo, Tsuna barely noticed. But even after Nana patched Lambo up and took him upstairs to bed with promises of an assured recovery, Tsuna found Ryohei sitting in the living room with a hard, thoughtful expression.

"Sawada," he greeted Tsuna, his tone clipped. "The one who did that to the kid…"

"He was a foreign hunter, right?" Tsuna said, tired from more than just his intense training that day. They weren't even halfway through the month and things were already this bad. Would everyone even make it through to the Ring Battles, at this rate?

"He's the one that has been letting off that bloodthirsty aura," Ryohei guessed. Of course he had noticed as well. Even if his senses were not as sharp as those of Tsuna and others of mixed blood, he was still not an ordinary human.

"One of them," Tsuna admitted.

"And you know why they are here," Ryohei surmised. He looked down at his tightly clasped hands, wrapped in the familiar white strips. When he looked up, he caught and held Tsuna's gaze, any trace of hesitation gone. "Tell me."

Tsuna flinched in surprise, his eyes growing wide. He shook his head frantically. "No! Onii-san, it's… it'll be over soon, just another few weeks," Tsuna insisted, thoughtlessly referring to him the way Kyoko always did. "It's dangerous right now, so it might be better for you and Kyoko to leave town until the new term, but I promise… it'll be over soon."

Ryohei drew a slow, deep breath. "I extremely can't do that, Sawada," he said. "I'm not the sort of man who can just turn away and pretend he didn't see anything. That is why I'm part of this circle too. I can see and I won't look away."

"It doesn't have anything to do with you!" Tsuna protested. "It's, it's not… Your family left this life behind! You're just ordinary people now! You don't need to fight, especially not against people like that."

"My family stopped minding the shrine because there is no more need for it," Ryohei corrected him.

He had heard about it from his mother. With every generation, the ayakashi grew weaker and rarer, even in Namimori. That was why Hibari's clan retreated deep into the mountains too. There was no more need for priests or priestesses to pacify the spirits or to purify the land.

"It wasn't because we no longer had the will to help those in need," he continued. "I can't turn my back on someone I know needs help. And… right now, you look like you extremely need help, Sawada. So let me help, alright?"

Tsuna bit his lip, more half formed protests stuck in his throat. He knew he should refuse, tell Ryohei to take Kyoko and leave Namimori until the Ring Battles were over with, but…

But he really needed help.

Ryohei's calm, serious gaze didn't waver as Tsuna spilled everything. When Tsuna finished his story, reaching up to wipe away the tears that had begun to spill down his cheeks, Ryohei nodded.

"Okay," he said. "Give me one of those rings. I'm going to fight, to the extreme."

~.~.~


	17. One month

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Summary:** Tsuna is half-youkai, but that's not going to stop him from becoming Vongola Decimo. But the road to inheritance is fraught with difficulty, including the hunter-assassins challenging him for the right.

~.~.~

**Chapter 57 Arrangements**

Ryohei grinned widely as he waved goodbye to Kyoko. It hadn't been hard to convince her to take a vacation to the beach with her friend Haru, even before Ryohei told her a slightly edited version of the truth.

Convincing her that Ryohei would be alright not coming with them was a bit harder, but Ryohei didn't feel more than a twinge of guilt at telling her he would be at a long training camp. It was true, in a way. He would be out of Namimori, training, for real. It just wouldn't be for boxing, not in the way Kyoko thought.

"Ready to go, kora?" his new master asked, his bird partner lowering him to hover at Ryohei's level.

"Yes, Colonnello-shishou!" Ryohei sounded off energetically.

Colonnello had to smile at his enthusiasm. He wasn't like Reborn, and while he thought he could probably force a student to get stronger, he infinitely preferred working with someone who had both the potential and the drive to improve on their own.

When Reborn had contacted him for a favor, no matter how he phrased it, Colonnello had almost faceplanted in surprise. Reborn, the Reborn, admitting he needed help? It seemed fantastical, but even Reborn couldn't be in two places at once, and he had to oversee his own student's training.

There was just one thing he didn't understand about the situation.

"I don't get what the Ninth is aiming for," Colonnello admitted to Reborn after his fellow Arcobaleno finished his explanation. "I haven't heard anything about internal disputes with the CEDEF from Lal, so why did he order this? Setting your assassination squad loose against a teenager sends a certain not-good message, kora."

Reborn's silence carried a distinctly frustrated tone. "…Xanxus knows something," he admitted. "But he's so caught up in his own rage, he can't look beyond it. He won't tell me anything. Iemitsu is looking into it. There's nothing to do but wait for his results."

"Why don't you try asking Viper?" Colonnello suggested. And it was definitely Viper, even if their Pacifiers didn't react. How many powerful illusionist babies could there possibly be in the world? "He'll charge you up the nose for it, but as long as you pay, he'll give you any info you want, even if he's supposed to be your opponent."

As annoying as it was, there were certain benefits to Viper's money grubbing ways.

Reborn's expression was absolutely priceless as he realized he had no other choice.

~.~.~

**Chapter 58 Grudge**

Naturally, Viper had demanded payment upfront and, to add insult to injury, had then taken his time confirming the amount.

"Well?" Reborn pressed, his impatience beginning to get the better of him.

Viper — Mammon — shrugged. "About three months ago, Nono stopped accepting requests for meetings from the Varia," he said. "And since he's so busy you can't meet with him without an appointment, we haven't seen him since then."

Reborn frowned, not liking where this was going. Refusing requests from the Varia so systematically was a blatant snub, something Nono had never done to any member of his own famiglia, much less a faction as powerful as the Varia — and the one headed by his own adopted son, no less.

"Boss started going to deliver all our requests and reports in person, but about two months back, Nono stopped meeting with him too. He'd always be out or in an urgent meeting or something," Mammon continued.

No wonder Xanxus was so angry. What kind of message was Nono trying to send? It made no sense. Why wind Xanxus up before letting him loose on Tsuna? This would undermine the whole point of allowing Xanxus to hold a Ring Battle. At this rate, even if Tsuna won, Xanxus would see it all as a mockery of him.

"We were pretty busy with preparations for departure the last month or so," Mammon added, "but I heard Nono started refusing to meet with anyone. Obviously, he had a lot of requests, to explain his decision, but it sounded like he just locked himself in the inner sanctum and refused to see anyone at all."

Certainly, Iemitsu's requests for an audience had been refused, but to go that far…

"Anyone? Even his Guardians?" Reborn asked, frowning.

Mammon shrugged again. "Couldn't say. The way I heard it, they've been too busy running around doing damage control." He snorted quietly. "Just before we left, everyone was starting to whisper about the curse. Almost thought they'd call us in for an exorcism."

"That old ghost story?" Reborn remarked in distaste, unamused by Mammon's sense of humor.

Like any old organization, Vongola had its own myths, used to scare the recruits and whispered about on graveyard shifts. Any painting or photograph of the first generation would somehow always get torn in half, if you went to the old locked wing, you could see a beautiful silver haired woman on full moon nights, the boss's bloodline was cursed.

Supposedly, any boss that tried to stray from the path of power and dominion above the entire mafia world or failed to keep Vongola strong would be driven insane in short order by a demon. The traditional kind, not a physical monster.

It was all nonsense as far as Reborn was concerned. Nono had been the kindest, most benevolent leader since the Sixth, Simora, who admittedly passed on rather quickly upon inheriting the throne, but he had been old when he took over from his brother.

Although... Nono had quite the ruthless streak and kept an iron grip upon Vongola's position as the strongest famiglia, until his later years and his decision to allow Tsuna to be raised and trained away from the darkness of the mafia...

Reborn shook his head. It was a ridiculous notion. He had never blamed his problems on some unknown, unknowable force beyond his control, even when his entire life was torn apart with no way out, and he wasn't about to start.

He and Iemitsu would get to the bottom of this, and whatever the cause, they would find a way to deal with it.

As the world's greatest hitman, Reborn would accept no less.

~.~.~

**Chapter 59 Fireworks**

When Reborn suddenly announced, three days before the Ring Battles were to resume, that training was over and Tsuna should take the rest of the time left to just relax, Tsuna had been certain he misheard. There was no way his sadistic, spartan tutor from hell would ever say something so nice. It had to be a dream or a hallucination.

Reborn kicked him in the head. It hurt. So this was reality after all.

"Dame-Tsuna, it's no good if your body is too worn out from training. Your muscles need time to recover," Reborn explained. "Your friends are getting time off from their tutors too, so go do something together."

"I heard there is a festival today," Basil added, smiling helpfully. "Will you not consider a visit, Sawada-dono?"

"I can't believe that's already today," Tsuna murmured. Going with everyone sounded like a great idea, actually. He could feel a smile spreading across his face, his exhaustion and unease falling away, even if for just a short while.

Basil declined, of course. The most Tsuna had ever gotten out of him was agreeing to accept the bento boxes Tsuna asked Nana to make for his "study buddy."

But Yamamoto and Gokudera arrived at the Sawada house even without Tsuna's prompting, the same thought apparently on their minds. Teasing playfully and bemoaning the homework they hadn't even started doing, the three of them plus Reborn made their way to the Sasagawa siblings' place, where Tsuna was guiltily disappointed to learn that Kyoko was still out of town. Ryohei, however, was more than happy to come.

Once they reached the stalls, an argument quickly began about what to do and what to see first. Normally, Tsuna would have tried to break them up, but this time he felt somehow content just watching Ryohei yell, Gokudera scold and Yamamoto laugh, while Reborn just added fuel to the fire with his own ridiculous suggestions.

His friends. He had friends now. Friends who would fight with him, friends who would walk to school with him. Friends to play in the snow with, to go to a festival with.

'I won't let them go,' Tsuna thought, suddenly, fiercely. 'They're mine, and I won't let them go no matter what.'

He almost bared his teeth, right there in the middle of the festival, but something caught his attention — a familiar presence in the crowd.

"Hi, Chrome," Tsuna greeted, making the girl turn to him surprise. "That yukata looks really nice on you." He almost hadn't recognized her, except for the faint sense of otherness that clung to her.

Chrome blushed. "Thank you," she said quietly, ducking her head. "…It's just an illusion though."

That reminded him that he hadn't seen her since the last day of school when she and Mukuro had accepted the Mist Ring and agreed to fight as his Guardian.

"Are you here by yourself?" Tsuna asked, impulsively. "Why don't you come with us? Since we're… we're going to be working together."

"Mukuro-sama is always with me," Chrome told him, "but I… I would like to go with Boss and everyone. Mukuro-sama also agrees."

"We'll be happy to have you both," Tsuna said, fibbing a little.

Truthfully, Yamamoto and Ryohei were perfectly happy to have Chrome join them, though they knew nothing of her tenant, and Reborn only looked at her without comment. Whatever protests Gokudera had were quickly lost in the face of Tsuna's determination to have her join them.

They spent the rest of the day at the festival. As night began to fall, Ryohei led the way to a secret spot he knew behind the shrine, which he claimed had the best view of the fireworks.

He was right. The view was amazing.

A flutter of wings made Tsuna look up. On the shrine roof, several figures had perched — clothed in traditional robes and wide brimmed hats that hid their faces, holding staves like monks. On their backs were large wings in black and brown.

Hibari, alone in his modern school uniform, met Tsuna's gaze with the particular expression of exasperated long-suffering he always wore when forced to crowd — flock — together with his clan. No doubt, they were the ones who had insisted on seeing the human festival.

Smiling, Tsuna turned away and watched the sky explode with color.

~.~.~


	18. Mother

~.~.~

**Title:** Ayakashi

**Arc 2:** Ring Battle

~.~.~

**Chapter 60 Cat with two tails**

The day before the Ring Battles were to commence, Tsuna and his friends arrived at the Sawada house after a day of Reborn-caused hijinks to find a guest already present.

"Welcome home, Tsu-kun, Hayato-kun, Takeshi-kun, Reborn-kun," Nana greeted them cheerfully. "This is my old friend, Uri. She came to watch you fight."

Tsuna choked on his spit. He hadn't actually told Nana about the Ring Battles and to have her refer to them so casually was a shock even to him. Next to him, Gokudera also made a choking sound, but his reasons were rather different. "M-Mom?" he stammered, staring at the silver haired woman sitting at the kitchen table with Nana.

"Ara," Nana exclaimed softly, "Hayato-kun really does have your blood, Uri-chan. I thought he felt familiar. You didn't tell me you had a kitten!"

"It was a while back," Uri said dismissively. She narrowed her eyes as Nana continued to beam at her. "He had really nice flutes!" she snapped rather defensively, hiding behind the rim of her tea cup.

Gokudera's quick mind had finally shaken off the paralyzing shock, and he began to understand the implications of what the two women were saying.

Tsuna had mentioned long ago that his mother had known a two-tailed cat like Gokudera's mother's mother, the mysterious woman who had wandered into his grandfathers music shop and never appeared again, leaving behind only a child that would one day take the name Lavina Gokudera, in honor of the mother she had never even met.

"You're, you're my grandmother?" he stuttered out, disbelieving.

"Who knows," Uri brushed his question aside without the slightest hint of interest.

Her dismissal, casual and distant, sent a wave of cold through him. Why? Why didn't she care at all? Weren't they family? Why was he always abandoned? Why had he been forced to be alone, if she was out there somewhere?

Tsuna's hand on his arm, gripping tightly, dragged Gokudera out of his spiraling thoughts. He realized his dynamite was in his hands, readied as if to attack. Tsuna's pained, sympathetic gaze met his, and Gokudera found himself dragged out of the kitchen, upstairs to Tsuna's room.

"…I apologize for my behavior in front of your honorable mother's guest," Gokudera forced out, swallowing heavily as his throat refused to work.

"That's not something you need to apologize for," Tsuna said. He rubbed a comforting hand over Gokudera's back, biting his lip, uncertain how to help his friend.

"Ayakashi really are different from humans," Yamamoto commented, having followed them silently. His eyes were locked on the wood of Tsuna's bedroom door, or rather through it, on the place they had just left.

"No matter what form they take, ayakashi don't have human hearts, human values or morals," Tsuna said quietly. "Because they're not human. Even something like abandoning their own child isn't wrong or strange to them."

The fate of those children was left to their human parent, because in the end those children were humans too. In their own way, Tsuna's friends were also the lucky ones. Not all humans, suddenly finding an infant that had been brought forth by the spirits, reacted so well. And the rejected ones…

Halfbreeds had always been rare. Even rarer was for them to survive to adulthood.

Gokudera shook his head sharply. "It doesn't matter," he declared, hurt and determination both in his voice. "It doesn't matter because I have the only family I need."

He coughed a little in embarrassment, ducking his head to hide his flush.

"Family? That sounds nice," Yamamoto said, smiling easily.

"Yes," Tsuna agreed. Impulsively, he pulled Gokudera into a tight hug. His friends. His family. His. His.

~.~.~

**Chapter 61 Once upon a time**

Unnoticed by Tsuna and his friends, Reborn hadn't followed them upstairs. This was, he judged, a private famiglia matter, and despite his general Dame-ness, Tsuna had proven surprisingly deft at handling such things thus far.

Instead, Reborn had hopped off Tsuna's shoulder and taken his place at the kitchen table. He watched as the two women continued to sip their tea, apparently unconcerned by their son and grandson's ungainly retreat and obvious distress.

It didn't feel like coldness, especially not from Nana, who was always so warm and welcoming. They really didn't understand, Reborn thought.

"Why is your friend in Japan again, Mamma?" Reborn asked instead.

"Oh, Uri-chan came to see Tsu-kun and his friends fight," Nana repeated her earlier explanation, which did nothing to explain why a hundred year old cat would care about the battles of a mafia famiglia.

"I want to see what happens to Master's precious rings and group," Uri added. "That's why I went overseas in the first place. I wanted to see the group Master, Master's master and their friend used to be part of."

For a moment, Reborn had to close his eyes and try to think. She's over a hundred, he reminded himself. She's actually a cat. So it's not impossible. It's not impossible that she would have belonged to one of Primo's former Guardians.

Primo was led to Japan by his Rain Guardian, Ugetsu Asari, and thus Giotto Vongola became Sawada Ieyasu. Reborn wondered if G, the Storm Guardian, had in turn become Gokudera, the name taken on by his cat a hundred years later.

"You're always still thinking about them, Uri-chan," Nana noted, with a gentle smile.

"Master will always be Master," Uri declared, surprisingly gruff for such a beautiful woman. "And Master's master and their friend… they were part of Master. The music Master's friend played, the group Master's master always worried about, they were part of Master too. So they are part of me."

"Uri-chan, you can be so strange," Nana laughed. "But I think I understand. I was always interested in humans. That's why I came to this town so often. But Iemitsu is different from other humans, to me. Tsu-kun too. I'll always remember them."

Even a hundred years from now, when her human husband and son were gone, she would look back on this transient life fondly. Humans were like that, weren't they? So colorful, in the short time they bloomed.

~.~.~

**Chapter 62 23:59**

The Ring Battles were to take place that night, right at the stroke of midnight. Despite the still warm summer air, Tsuna shivered as the familiar gates came into view.

As before, the battlefield was Namimori Middle School. Walking there with Gokudera and Yamamoto, Reborn on his shoulder, was surreal, like a strange nighttime version of their school life ritual. Ryohei, with Colonnello, was waiting for them at the gates, and although he couldn't see her, Tsuna was somehow certain that Chrome was present as well. A pair of cat eyes flashed in the darkness, but there was no other sign of Uri's presence.

With a quiet flutter of wings, Hibari alighted on the school wall. His expression was already somehow unsettling.

To Tsuna's surprise, Basil was not the only one present inside. Beside him stood Dino, backed by several of his men.

"Yo, little bro, Reborn!" Dino greeted them, cheerfully, before his expression turned serious. "I, and the Cavallone famiglia, will be acting as referee for this Ring Battle. The stages have already been prepared, and we will begin shortly."

"You're the referee? But isn't that a little… suspicious?" Tsuna wondered. With this, not only would the battlefield be their home ground, but even the referee could be seen as sympathetic to them.

Dino smiled. "Even if I was once Reborn's student, I am still head of the third strongest famiglia in the alliance. I'm still seen as a neutral third party whose word can be trusted. My famiglia's reputation is on the line."

"The Varia aren't going to complain," Reborn added. "But having a referee we can trust is very important. If things go badly, it might mean the difference between life and death."

"It's not in the rules of the Ring Battles, but I'll try to call the fights before anyone can get killed," Dino agreed, his tone and expression grim.

"T-thanks," Tsuna forced out, his throat suddenly dry with the reminder of what was to come.

He glanced back at his Guardians, but none of them looked scared or ready to back out. Their expressions showed only determination. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna told himself he could do no less.

A low, even voice cut through the tense atmosphere, making Tsuna freeze and pale.

"What do you mean, the stages have been prepared?" Hibari asked, deathly quiet. "What did you do to my school?"

Forget the battles, Tsuna thought. They were all going to die before the clock had a chance to strike midnight.

~.~.~


End file.
